


Mei-lody Of Certain Damaged Heroes

by Saereth



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-21 01:18:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9525101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saereth/pseuds/Saereth
Summary: When Mei discovers the Overwatch team will be at Lijiang Tower for the Summer Solstice, she is overjoyed at the opportunity to have some fun, but when she thwarts an attempted robbery and Overwatch takes custody of two violent criminals, she is thrown into the role of babysitter, soon discovering she has a strange reaction to a certain junker. ( Mei/Junkrat, slowish burn.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Note: I’m back at it again! This time with my favourite ship, Meihem! This story is about half-way complete, with several chapters ready to go after editing. It’s tagged as Romance/Humour, but it holds many other themes, all of which are adult. Hopefully this story will satisfy those people who love Meihem, and maybe even draw in a few new fans of the ship. Wish me luck!

Chapter One

Mei pressed her nose excitedly to the window as a smooth voice came over the speakers, announcing their arrival at Lijiang Tower.

It felt so good to be back in her home country, and her eyes took in the sight of the sprawling city below them, the enormous tower looming over all the other shimmering skyscrapers, broken by hints of green from the garden levels, dominating the scene.

“I can’t wait to get started,” Mei squealed as Lena peered out the window next to her, “It’s going to take weeks to get proper measurements on the atmosphere, I’ll have to set up several test sights across the city, and-”

“Ooh is that the night market down there?” Tracer interrupted, pointing a finger at the glass, “It’s so crowded! And look,” she blinked across the room to another window, “What are all those people doing?”

“Their probably getting ready for the festival next week,” Mei said, walking over to take a look, “People travel from all over the county for the Solstice. There’s music and dancing and a parade-”

“Is that smoke?” Angela asked, leaning over the shorter girls to look down at the tower.

Mei looked down at the lower level of Lijiang, where crowds of people were pouring out of the doors and down the spiralling outer staircases, fleeing the billowing smoke that followed them through the exit.

“A fire?!” Lena gasped, immediately blinking out of the room and into the cockpit, where Mei could hear her talking to Winston and Commander Morrison.

She felt the ship lurch as it changed angle, dropping sharply below the upper landing pad where they were due to dock and heading for the panicked crowd.

“What part of the tower is that?” Angela asked, turning to Mei.

Mei quickly counted the stories, trying to remember the last time she was here. “Well, ten years ago I think it was the Lunar museum,” she replied.

Mercy opened her mouth to ask something else, but a loud bang sounded from below, and the ship window was pelted with debris as the sound of screams grew louder.

“Get ready, team,” Winston called as he rushed into the room, followed by the others, “We’ll be landing immediately. Angela, grab your medical gear, you too Morrison,” he gave the orders smoothly and calmly, and everyone rushed to collect their gear from their lockers.

Mei raced over and strapped her climate manipulator to her back, loading her blaster in preparation to tackle the flames before they could reach any other combustible materials in the building.

They were still several feet above the ground as the doors opened, bringing with it a rush of heat from the summer air as they moved out.

Angela was first out the door, already gliding over the crowd on splendid golden wings as she surveyed the area, followed closely by Lena, who grabbed a microphone and began blinking around, trying to direct the crowd safely down the stairs and move the wounded to the ship to be tended by a waiting Morrison.

Mei jumped down behind Winston, heading through the crowd towards the door and calling back, “I’m going in, Winston!”

“Be careful Mei, we don’t know what’s going on yet!” he called back, easily parting the crowd with his towering form.

“I have to get in there and freeze the fire before the whole tower comes down,” she said, pulling her scarf over her mouth and nose as she reached the doors and ducked inside, sending out a spray of frost in front of her to clear the way.

The cries from outside were strangely muffled as she picked her way carefully around a pile of shattered glass, dousing several smaller fires as she searched for the source of the thick black smoke that clouded her glasses.

Another crash sounded from further in and she turned down a hallway as a blast of heated air swirled down the hall carrying the sound of voices with it.

Mei reached over her shoulder, detaching Snowball and sending him up towards the roof, where the tiny robot blinked, looked around, then turned on it’s heat seeking devices and flew off ahead with barely a noise to hunt for flames.

She pressed herself against the wall, listening closely for the voices again.

“-and I’m tellin’ you, it was on the forty-eighth floor!” a high pitched voice whined. Mei couldn’t make out the sound of a reply, but there must have been, for the voice continued, “Of course I read it- What? __Yes I can read…__ ” She could hear footsteps from somewhere to the left of her head, and she guessed that they were heading down the stairwell towards the room ahead of her.

“Winston?” she whispered into her earpiece, keeping her voice as low as possible.

“I read you, Mei. What’s your status?” a crackled reply came through instantly.

“There are people in here with me,” she replied.

“Civilians?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“I don’t think so, I think this was a deliberate attack,” she answered, still whispering as she listened to the dull footsteps ahead of her.

“I’m sending in Morrison, hold your position,” Winston answered, brooking no argument.

Mei stayed silent, listening as the voice spoke again.

“Well I don’t see it nowhere, so maybe we did get the wrong floor… wait, what’s that?”

Mei bit her lip as the footsteps came closer.

“Hook it down, big guy, looks like a bot,” the voice said again, and Mei gasped as she realized that Snowball must be out there.

There was a bang and a thud, and then, “Ain’t never seen a fiery bot this advanced, do you think the coppers are here already?”

Mei hoped Morrison would arrive soon, the smoke was making her throat itch and if snowball was out of action, she may not be able to stop them before they escaped.

“Oi! where’s it goin’?” the voice asked, and Mei groaned as Snowball flew around the corner and up the hallway, settling back on her shoulder to recharge.

There was no talking now, and Mei began to back up slowly.

There was another thump, then a loud sound like a chainsaw filled the building and she watched as something big and spiked rolled into the hallway, heading directly at her.

She screamed in shock and barely had time to register the sight of a great, spiked car wheel roaring towards her before everything turned cold as her body reacted to the adrenaline and fear, forming a thick, impenetrable layer of ice over her skin and freezing her in place.

Mei had found this new-found ability annoying at first, ever since she had been released from cryo-sleep she had been freezing up at the slightest sign of danger, sometimes to the detriment of her work, and it had taken weeks to master the ability to do it willingly, however fleeting, but this was one time she couldn’t complain.

The tire circled her immobile form twice, and she caught a glimpse of the explosives that were strapped to it before it exploded, blasting a hole in the hallway and covering it in soot, but barely scratching her ice shield.

Manic laughter sounded from the other room just as the ice around her began to fragment and melt, setting her free and she quickly un-holstered her blaster, aiming it at the door just as Snowball re-awoke, flying ahead of her and hovering above the door-frame with a wink.

“We got ‘em! Hahaha! Did you hear that blast?! Nothin’ coulda’ escaped that!” the voice said, followed with more high-pitched giggling.

“Yeah yeah, in a sec, I just wanna see if-” a hunched figure appeared in the doorway.

Even bent over, the man towered over Mei. He was completely shirtless, and every inch of his skin was covered in soot and dirt, but what caught her off guard the most was the fact that his pale hair seemed to be smouldering, glowing slightly at the tips and smoking.

Mei stared at him, her gun aimed at his head. He stared back, looking just as confused.

“Freeze! Don’t move!” she shouted, sounding more confident than she felt as a second figure ducked through the door.

If she thought the first man was big, then this guy was an absolute giant. His face was covered in a leather gas mask, and he held a glinting metal hook in one hand.

“D-drop your weapons!” she said, still aiming at them.

The masked man looked down at his companion, who shrugged, then laughed.

“I said drop them!” she insisted, but this just seemed to make him laugh harder, grinning with sharp teeth as he looked at her blaster.

Mei frowned, then nodded up at the tiny blue robot still hovering over their heads and watching as it spun around wildly, covering the area in frost.

The man stopped laughing and looked up, confused at the sudden cold. “Oi, what-”

He tried to talk, but within seconds, the frost became so thick that he and his companion were frozen in place, still looking upwards.

“Mei sighed in relief, then spoke into her earpiece, “Winston?”

“Mei? Where are you, is Morrison with you?” Winston replied.

“No, but I’ve detained the arsonists,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the frozen men.

“What? How many?” he asked.

“There were only two, we’re in the main hallway-” the sound of running footsteps pulled her attention away from Winston, and she turned to the Commander Morrison charging towards her.

“I’m on sight with the suspects and Agent Zhou,” Morrison said into his own earpiece, nodding at Mei as he approached, gun raised.

“Morrison, are there really only two?” Winston asked.

“Looks like it,” he replied, “I swept the area, but these are the only two life forms-”

He stopped, walking in close to the frozen men and examining them.

“I know these jokers,” he breathed softly, turning to Mei, “They’re wanted by the Mexican government for a bank heist a few years back.”

He jabbed the barrel of his gun sharply into the shoulder of the bigger man. “How long will they stay like this?”

“They will thaw out in about three minutes, but I can give them another coating in two.” she replied, watching as Commander Morrison pried the hook from the big man’s hand and tossed it away.

“No need,” he said, “I’ll disarm them and direct the others here. Can you check the rest of the area for fire?”

Mei nodded, squeezing past the frozen figures and into the room behind them.

She listened idly as Commander Morrison spoke to the others over the radio, and she felt relieved when Angela confirmed that there where no casualties.

She strolled through the Museum floors, blasting a few smoking remains and freezing a support bar that looked as though it was about to collapse.

The Lunar Museum had changed drastically since her last visit over ten years ago, and she was amazed at the advancements in space travel, especially the section on terraforming.

She made a note to speak to Winston about meeting with someone from Lucheng Interstellar to talk about their terraforming experiments. Perhaps they had something she could use to help reverse the severe levels of global warming, and judging by the towering bronze statue of her fellow scientist that dominated the center of the Lunar exhibit, she didn’t think it would be hard for him to convince them to talk with her.

By the time she returned to the main floor, the building was swarming with police and fire fighters.

“Great work, Mei!” Lena called, waving her over to the rest of the Overwatch group where they stood slightly behind Winston, who was talking to several officers and some men in business suits.

“Thanks!” she giggled, “But most of the credit goes to Snowball,” she petted the blue robot on her shoulder.

“So who were they?” she asked, sitting down on the floor and thanking a fireman that appeared at their side, handing out bottles of water to the soot covered team.

“Junkers, from The Outback,” Lena said, dropping down onto the floor with Mei and taking a long sip of water.

“They are known by the authorities as ‘Junkrat’ and ‘Roadhog’, wanted criminals with a bounty of over 25 million on their heads,” Angela said, watching the conversation between Winston and the business men closely.

“They’re the ones that stole the crown jewels!” Lena said excitedly.

“I remember hearing about them,” Mei said, “Didn’t they murder a lot of people?”

“They’re more dangerous than they look,” Morrison said, catching their attention as he leaned against the wall.

“Murder, arson, theft… The smaller one had a suicide vest on, so it’s lucky you froze them,” he nodded to Mei, who tried not to blush at the compliment, “If his heart stopped beating, it would have blasted this entire floor out of the tower.”

“Where are they now?” Mei asked, looking around.

“They’re being held in one of the cells in the tower basement. Lijiang has it’s own private security force, and they’re apparently trying to take charge of the situation now that the danger is over.” He pointed over at Winston, where a small man in a suit was valiantly trying to get some height on the giant gorilla as they argued.

“Any idea what they were here for?” she asked.

Commander Morrison shook his head, his gaze returning to Winston.

Mei stood up and stretched, pulling the climate manipulator from her back. “I need some air,” she said, walking away from the group and heading out the ruined doors towards the ship.

She tossed her gear into the hull, pulling off her gloves and jacket and adding them to the pile, sighing with relief as the cool air washed over her skin and she sat down on the opened ramp, looking back out at the still crowded Museum level.

Her first time home in ten years. She had practically cheered when Winston told them they would be at Lijiang Tower for the Solstice festival, and had spent weeks preparing to study the atmospheric changes in China and remembering the last time she had been in town for the festival.

She traced her bare fingers idly over the glass of the ramp where she sat, watching as they left a frosted trail behind.

Ten years in cryo-sleep. Ten years of stories, changes and losses that she had been asleep for, frozen in ice in the middle of Antarctica as she awaited rescue with the rest of her team.

But when the rescue came, there was only her.

Now here she was. Biologically forty-one years old, but physically and mentally still her thirty-one year old self on the day of entering cryo-sleep.

She could freeze in ice when threatened, her skin too cold for others to touch, kept wrapped in layers of insulated clothing, and a member of the new Overwatch who had possibly just saved hundreds of lives.

Yet somehow, no matter how hard she tried or how many lives she saved, her thoughts always drifted back to her lost team mates. She would often lay awake at night, tormenting herself with the idea that if she had only stayed out of cryo to monitor them, if she’d only put her foot down as a leader, she might have been able to save them.  

“Penny for your thoughts?” Winston asked, casting a shadow over where she was seated and jolting her out of her memories.

“Just thinking of the old days,” she shrugged.

“You can talk to me, Mei. Scientist to scientist,” he said, sitting down next to her.

She laughed, “I’m fine, really.”

He studied her for a moment through his glasses, then nodded. “Well, I need to speak with our hosts some more, so I’m sending the rest of you up to the garden levels,” he said, pointing further up the tower to a mass of hanging vines, “We’ve been given an entire penthouse floor to use for as long as we like, so you can all settle in and I’ll meet you there shortly.”

Mei nodded, standing up and walking back into the ship where she was shortly joined by the others.

As the doors closed and they drifted upwards, Mei watched out the window as the shrinking form of Winston slouched back into the Museum, and a few moments later, they landed again.

The garden levels were even more beautiful than she remembered, filled with every shade of green and overflowing with vibrant, colourful flowers. She could even hear the soft roar of water somewhere nearby as they walked into the suite, and it never ceased to amaze her that something so tranquil could exist in the heart of the metropolis.

“Well, now that’s over we can relax and have some fun!” Lena said as they came inside through a balcony door, jumping onto one of the cream coloured lounges and instantly covering it in soot.

Mei walked through the spacious living and dining area, past Angela and Morrison who were exploring the kitchen and free bar and down the hallway, checking each room to see which one would fit all her lab equipment.

Eventually she found a spacious room with a large window overlooking a shaded rose garden and she threw her things onto the large bed, putting her hands on her hips.

It was far more luxurious than her usual quarters, and her small suitcase looked almost sad next to the gigantic wardrobe, but it had a large oak table on the opposite wall where she could spread out her note books, and the view from the window was breath-taking.

“Welcome home, Mei,” she said, smiling to herself, “Time to get started.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Mei rolled over in her bed, pushing the silk sheets away as the morning sun heated the room, filling it with bright, golden light.

For a moment she couldn’t figure out what had woken her; she had been thoroughly enjoying her first sleep-in in months, and coupled with a late night of reading and making notes, she was in no mood to get out of bed so early.

After reaching groggily for her glasses on the bed-side table, she realized that there were raised voices coming from the living area down the hall, and she jumped up, pulling on a light blue, silken robe as she crossed the room on bare feet and peered out the door.

Her eyes were instantly met with a set of brown ones peaking out of the door across from her and Lena put a finger to her lips, then stepped out, gesturing for Mei to follow her as they padded quietly down the hallway in their pyjamas towards the commotion.

“You can’t be serious, Winston,” that was Angela.

“Please, look at this from my perspective,” Winston replied, “If we hand them over to any one country, there will be arguments all across the globe. They clearly aren’t forthcoming with the location of the stolen goods,”

“But it isn’t any of our business,” Angela argued.

“It is if those funds fall into the hands of Talon,” Commander Morrison growled, “Not to mention they are expert criminals, they’re weaponry alone is enough to make them a high priority for recruitment by other… Organizations.”

“We could learn a lot from them,” Winston said, and Mei leaned out from behind Lena to see into the room.

Winston and Angela were standing head to head, while Commander Morrison stood by the bar, and there was someone else…

Mei barely smothered a gasp at the sight of the giant man standing on the other side of the room by the door.

His leather mask firmly in place, the man called Roadhog watched silently as the others continued to argue as though he weren’t present.

Without his fierce hook, he seemed oddly docile, and Mei looked over at Lena, who had blinked behind the couch. The girl shrugged, then pointed to Roadhog.

Mei shrugged in return, and frowned as Lena held up two fingers, giving her a questioning look.

Two.. there were two, but she could only see Roadhog, so where…

“G’day!” a voice shouted in her ear, and she screamed, instantly feeling the cold flood her body as she froze up.

She could see through the bluish tinge of her ice shield that the others had stopped arguing, and were now staring over at her in shock.

“Ahh ladies, you’re awake,” the muffled voice of Winston came through her ice, “I was just informing Angela and Jack of our-… Mei?”

Mei looked up at him through the ice, then to the right where a thoroughly shocked looking Junker stared back at her with a grin.

That one must be Junkrat.

“Mei, Err…would you kindly unfreeze?” Winston asked.

Mei closed her eyes, focusing on calming her heart, which seemed to be trying to escape her chest.

After a moment, she felt the tell-tale melting around her, and the ice showered from her frame, leaving her standing in her robe at the center of everyone's attention.

“Thank you,” Winston said, “Lena, you can stop hiding behind the lounge,” he added.

“Sorry, Winston!” Lena said, flipping over onto the lounge and crossing her legs, “Heard yelling, thought it might be something juicy.”

“Right, as I was saying…” Winston adjusted his glasses, “I have arranged on behalf of Overwatch to take custody and guardianship of Mr.Mako Rutledge and Mr.Jamison Fawkes,” he gestured to each junker in turn.

“Err…Why?” Lena asked.

“In return for their co-operation and assistance, we will remove all bounties from their heads and smooth things over with Lucheng,” he explained, “We will be able to keep them out of trouble and away from any… unwanted influences.”

“So we are to be glorified babysitters for criminals,” Angela said sourly, tossing her golden hair over her shoulder in anger.

“Enough, Angela,” Winston snapped, “Mako and Jamison are to be treated as equal members of Overwatch. I have given you my reasons, and I expect my orders to be followed.”

“But Winston…” Mei said softly, “They’re-”

“Your new team mates!” Junkrat shouted, lunging at her happily.

Mei screamed again, shocked to find the junkers long arms suddenly wrapped around her in an awkward hug.

She heard Angela gasp, and even Winston looked shocked as Junkrat froze, looking about.

“What?” he asked, frowning.

“Let go of me!” Mei yelled, wiggling away from his grasp and staring at him in horror.

“You- Junkrat” Angela ordered, “Show me your hands!”

The twitching junker held out a pair of grimy hands for them to inspect. They were covered in black grease and dirt, but there was no sign of injury.

“Did you touch her bare skin? Does it hurt?” Angela asked.

“Eh? Err… I dunno… was it meant to?” he asked, looking about.

Mei’s brain was going into overdrive. No one had been able to touch her for more than a few seconds since she thawed out in Antarctica without suffering frostbite, but the lanky junker had just smothered her in a shirtless hug without so much as a brain freeze.

It was strange… the feeling of his skin burned into her like she had just plunged into a hot shower, and the feeling of someone touching her without her gloves or jacket…

“Winston, I don’t… I don’t want to work with them,” she stammered out, stepping further away from the junkers.

“Mei, please-” Winston began, but she cut him off.

“I’ll follow your orders, but I won’t be near them, they’re monsters,” she spat.

“Oi!” Junkrat shouted, looking offended, “I may be from the Outback, but I ain’t a monster!”

“You’re the worst kind of monster,” Mei snapped, her confusion turning to anger at being touched, “You’re a murderer!”

“Like you never killed anyone before!” Junkrat spat back.

Mei gasped, falling silent.

“Aha!” he shouted, pointing a finger at her, “Thought so!”

“People may have died because of my actions,” she said softly, looking him in the eye, “But at least I have the decency to feel bad about it.”

She turned on her heel, not waiting for a reply and stormed back down the hall, slamming the door to her room closed as loud as she could, just to release some of her anger.

She could still hear the rest of her team bickering as she gathered her kit and crammed her notes into her backpack, muttering under her breath.

Overwatch was supposed to be about helping people! Granted things had changed since the original Overwatch was disbanded, and by the time Mei had been found, Winston was in charge of the new order, but for them to take hardened criminals and murderers into their ranks...Mei had to agree with Angela, they were nothing more than glorified babysitters, and as much as she respected Winston, it was hard to see the Junkers joining Overwatch as anything more than a vanity project on his behalf.

Quickly dressing in a long sleeve top and matching blue pants, Mei hoisted her bag onto her back, feeling slightly nervous about leaving her climate manipulator behind, but the city was too hot and crowded to be carting it around, so she reluctantly left it on her bed.

By the time she returned to the living area on her way to the elevators, Winston and Angela had both left, leaving Lena and Morrison to watch the Junkers as they loudly and messily raided the kitchen.

“Roadie!” Junkrat shouted, his head hidden in the fridge, “They’ve got ham in here! You want to make a cannibal sandwich?”

Despite her anger, Mei slowed her pace and watched as the giant man shoved Junkrat out of the way and pulled an entire leg of ham from the fridge.

“I said sandwich!” Junkrat shouted, trying to slap the ham from his companions grip as he lifted his leather mask slightly and took a huge bite from the meat.

Mei looked on in disgust and made a note to herself to purchase a small fridge for her quarters, watching as Junkrat swung uselessly off of Roadhogs arm, shouting and trying to snatch at the meat.

The big man ignored his companion and strolled over to the bar, grabbing a bottle of rum with his free hand and moving off to the couch, where he sat heavily across from a staring Lena, alternating bites of meat and gulps of liquor.

Junkrat let out a whined huff and stalked back to the kitchen, defeated, to look for something else to eat.

He stopped at the fridge and his eyes landed on Mei, who instantly continued walking to the doors.

“Oi!” she heard him shout behind her, but she walked faster, reaching the door and slamming it closed behind her before running to the elevators, not stopping or looking back until she was safe inside.

Being rude or hostile wasn’t in her nature, usually she was cheerful and polite, and any sort of confrontation made her nervous. She slumped against the wall of the elevator and closed her eyes, dropping her bag to the floor.

Even something as simple as ignoring the junkers on her way through the living room seemed to have made her hands shake, and she stepped out into the front foyer of Lijiang in a much worse mood than she should have sported for her first day back home.

 

*

 

Mei spent the day throwing herself into her work. She started with the north side of the city, setting up probes and taking measurements on the temperature and humidity, with the idea of working her way in a clockwise spiral through the sprawling mega-city to the center.

Already her data was showing signs of sever temperature increases since she was here over a decade ago, and it was more than she had expected, which concerned her.

Travelling on foot in the heat of the day had been exhausting, and by the time she returned to Lijiang she was sweating and panting, her face bright pink in the warped reflection of the metal elevator doors.

Her anger at Winston and his new recruits were all but forgotten until she reached the penthouse floor and the doors slid open, revealing a rather panicked looking Lena.

“Mei!” she was bouncing on her feet, “Did you see Winston on your way up here?”

“No,” Mei said, “Why, is something wrong?”

“No, no! It’s nothing- It’s not an emergency anyway!” she seemed agitated, as though she was torn between laughing and crying, “It’s- well, we just need Winston, I have to- I should-” she edged her way around Mei and her bag into the elevator, “I’ll be back in a sec!”

Mei watched as the door closed between them, leaving her standing in the hallway.

She shrugged, hefting the bag on her shoulder as a twinge of pain shot through it. “I really need to start making use of the staff gym,” she muttered, turning away and heading to the door, “Ten years sleeping in a freezer really-” She stopped talking as she opened the door.

To say the living area looked as though a bomb had gone off in it was an understatement.

The kitchen was a wreck. The fridge was wide open, a half empty bottle of milk dripping out onto the once spotless tiles. Gnawed bones from what looked like their entire weeks worth of dinners lay scattered over the counter between shattered bottles of liquor and tubs of melted ice-cream.

Graffiti was scrawled across the walls, and part of the room had quite literally been blasted by what Mei could only guess was a grenade.

She walked through the room slowly, her mouth open in shock. The television was on at full blast, and she could see Roadhog sitting on the couch, or what was left of it.

He was holding a fist full of knives, throwing them lazily at a spray-painted target on the wall across from him.

High pitched laughter was coming from the roof, and Mei looked up to see Junkrat swinging happily from the chandelier, holding...

“Drop it! Now!” a furious voice shouted from up the hallway, and Mei turned to see Angela storming towards them, pistol in hand.

“Angela! What happened here? Is that-” Mei cringed as Angela fired her pistol at the manic junker, blasting one of the globes apart near his foot.

“How did he get your staff?” she asked, then gasped, thinking of Snowball and the rest of her gear still in her bedroom.

“The little rat used a bomb to blast himself onto the light! A bomb!” the tall woman growled, “He had it hidden in his shoe! And when I tried to knock him back off, he snatched my staff!”

Mei looked back up at Junkrat, his lanky frame crouched down low on the swinging fixture as he studied the staff in his hand.

“So how does this thing even work?” he snickered, poking at the top of the golden staff with his metal fingers, “It’s really light! How can you fit-Nyah!” he screeched as a blast of blue light was emitted from the tip straight into his face, causing him to reel backwards and almost slip from the chandelier.

“Give me that!” Angela snapped, catching her staff easily as it fell from his hands, “You filthy little thief! Just wait until Winston gets here-”

Angela continued to shout up at Junkrat as he laughed, pulling faces at her. Between the sound of their shouting, the television bawling, Roadhog tossing knives at the wall and a new banging that, upon inspection, turned out to be Morrison kicking the bulletproof glass of the closed balcony door where he had apparently been locked, Mei could barely hear herself think, never even noticing the return of Lena with a very annoyed Winston following through the doors until he began to talk.

“What is going on here?” Mei could see his eyes following the swaying of the chandelier, “Angela? And where is-” he looked over at the balcony where Morrison was stubbornly trying to break back into the room.

Mei could see his anger rising as the rest of the team continued to ignore him, the tell tale signs of one of his ‘moods’ showing in the twitch of his brow and the clenching of his large fists.

She hated seeing Winston loose his temper. She hated how much it seemed to hurt him, and how deeply ashamed he was after every episode.

“Winston?” she called softly, “Winston just calm down a moment, we can-”

It was too late; there was red in his eyes as he rose up onto his feet, almost brushing the ceiling with his head.

Mei slammed her hands over her ears an instant before a bone chilling, animalistic roar tore through the room, shaking the windows and causing the television to fall from the wall bracket and shatter along with Junkrat, who slammed into the ground behind a stunned Angela.

With the television broken, Roadhogs attention turned to the source of the noise, and Morrison stopped kicking on the door, leaving the room in a shaken silence while they waited for Winston to lower himself, taking deep breaths and re-adjusting his glasses.

“Sorry-” he said awkwardly, lowering his head as Mei came up beside him and rested a gloved hand on his arm.

“You don’t need to apologize, Winston,” she said softly, looking up into his soft brown eyes, “It’s those two who should be apologizing,” she pointed accusingly at the two junkers that had sidled up to the rest of the group, “Winston stuck his neck out for you, he saved you from prison and probably even death!” she could feel her own anger rising now, “and you repay him by trashing the apartment, eating all the food and stealing peoples belongings?”

Junkrat stopped grinning and bit his lip, looking about the room as though he hadn’t even noticed the chaos he had caused. Roadhogs face was still hidden by the mask, but he lowered his head slightly.

“We didn’t mean anything by it,” Junkrat explained, “Just having a bit of fun! Had no idea the monkey could get so wild-”  
”How dare you!” Mei snapped, “How dare you call him that! How dare you-”

“Mei, it’s quite alright,” Winston said, holding up a hand, “Mr. Fawkes. Mr.Rutledge, when you agreed to join Overwatch in exchange for your safety, you promised me you would do your best to behave,” Winston strolled through the crowd to the balcony and unlocked it, letting Morrison back into the room.

“You agreed to follow my orders, and to respect your team mates,” he continued, “Now I understand that it is going to be difficult for you both and for everyone else until you find your place, so I’m going to let your behaviour today slide, for the sake of peace.”  
”But Winston! they-” Mei tried to speak, but he turned his attention to her, and something about his expression told her not to contradict him in front of the people he commanded.

He approached the junkers calmly, but Mei knew the power behind his stance. It was how he managed to lead so many with just a few words.

“Now, do I have your word that you will try harder?” he said.

Junkrat looked up at Roadhog, as though waiting for a signal, but the big man remained silent, so with a sour look on his face and the slightest trace of a whine, Junkrat nodded and muttered, “Yes.”

“Good,” Winston replied, “Now, please get to work cleaning the apartment, We have more agents arriving tomorrow and the maids are certainly not paid enough to deal with this amount of destruction.”  
While Morrison and Angela took the satisfying job of forcing mops and other cleaning gear onto the junkers, Mei followed Winston out onto the balcony and sat down beside him.

The balcony had a perfect view of the gardens below, and Mei pulled her boots from her aching feet to dangle her legs over the edge, where the cooling spay of the sprinkler system just reached her toes.

“Winston?” she asked, “Are you ok?”

Winston removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Mei knew he was trying to put on an impressive show; he needed the support of Lucheng to fund the re-awakening of the Overwatch Watchpoints, but the stress was already showing on his face, and if he was prone to fits of anger after just one day at Lijiang, she dreaded how he would feel by the end of the week.

“I’m sorry, Mei,” he said, looking out over the gardens, “I’m just a bit tired. I’ve been trying to get a meeting with the board of directors, but Lucheng is just one big nest of paperwork and bureaucracy theses days, and they’re refusing to talk new business until after the summer festival.”

“But do you think they will agree to help us?” she asked.

“Certainly,” Winston replied, “And with their help, we’ll have the Watchpoints back up and running by the end of the year.”

“Good,” Mei said, “Because I need to get back to Antarctica, I need to access all my old files to compare them with the notes I make this week- Do you know that the average temperature in this city alone has increased by almost three degrees in the last ten years?”

“I see you haven’t decided to treat our visit to Lijiang as a well deserved vacation, unlike the rest of the team,” Winston chuckled.

“How can I?” Mei replied, “I’m ten years behind on research! I have to take every chance to-”  
Winston laughed again, “It’s fine, Mei. I understand how passionate you are for your work- It’s one of the reasons I admire you so much.”

“What about you?” she giggled, “Surely you deserve a break too?”

“Oh I plan on enjoying the festivities this week, don’t worry about that-” he stopped as a loud bang and shouting came from inside, and they both turned around to see Junkrat being cuffed around the ear by Morrison for setting off another grenade.

“And them?” Mei asked, less cheerful, “Are you really sure we should keep them in Overwatch?”

Winston sighed, turning back tot he gardens.

“Mei, when you look at them, what do you see?” he asked, throwing her off slightly.

“Erm...” she watched through the balcony door as Junkrat resumed scrubbing graffiti from the walls, Roadhogs back was to her as he hunched over the kitchen sink, quietly washing dishes.

“I see...Junkers?” she said, confused, “Criminals?”

“And where are they from?” Winston asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mei frowned, not getting where he was going, “Australia?”

“Not just Australia,” Winston said, “The Outback. You were asleep, so you missed the worst of the Omnic crisis, but Australia was completely devastated...Society was ripped to shreds there, and the land was covered in radiation...”

Mei gasped, starting to understand, “And they... Lived through it,” she said quietly.

Something fell into place in her mind as she looked again at the Junkers. Their world had been destroyed, and just like all the animals she had spent her life trying to rescue, once their habitat had been destroyed, they had turned feral in the fight to survive.

Bringing them into the penthouse was the equivalent of placing a lion in a zoo. No matter how much you made it look like the world it had once lived in, no matter how much you tried to tell it that it was safe, the lion would still tear the place to shreds.

“So you want to...rehabilitate them?” she asked, “I get what you’re saying, but-”

“They could be very useful,” Winston said, smiling, “once we get them...trained a little.”

Mei laughed. She knew Winston wasn’t serious about treating them like trained animals, but animal jokes were always a favourite of his.

“Well, I may as well get started on grocery shopping,” she said, standing up and grabbing her boots, “Looks like your new pets have already eaten us out of house and home, and- wait, how many people are coming tomorrow?”

“Six tomorrow, and another three on Friday, When I sent out that email, I didn’t realise just how many people would want to be here for the solstice festival. It’s a good thing Lijiang has given us the whole floor, because we’re going to need it.”

Winston followed her inside and made his way over to Angela, who was sitting with her arms and legs crossed at the bar still looking annoyed. Mei smiled, knowing that Winston had a lot more talking to do if he wanted to convince everyone in the team that the junkers were worth the effort.

“Hey!” a voice called from the floor, and Mei looked down to see Junkrat on his hands an knees, scrubbing brush in one hand.

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at the fact that he seemed to be, at most, shifting the soot around in circles ans he scrubbed, Mei gave a small smile.

“Hello, umm... Junkrat, is it?” she said, stepping back as he scrambled to his feet.

“Yeah!” he said, grinning manically, “Jamison Fawkes, at your service!”

Standing up, Mei was reminded of just how tall he was. If he wasn’t hunched over, she guessed he would be at least six feet, possibly more.  

“Umm, yes...Oh, my name is Mei,” she said, holding out her gloved hand, “Mei Ling-Zhou, climatologist and lead researcher of-” she stopped. She was so used to introducing herself as the head scientist at Watchpoint Antarctica that she had basically memorized a speech.

Junkrat didn’t notice her awkward pause, grabbing her hand and shaking it vigorously with the rusted metal prosthetic that served as his right arm.

Mei pulled her hand from him, frowning slightly, “Well...I just wanted to apologize for earlier today-”

“Haha! Oh right, You’ve got a real temper! It’s ok though, the monkey said-”

“Stop calling him that!” Mei snapped, “You could stand to be a little more grateful you know! Winston is working his butt off to keep you two out of prison-”  
”I am grateful!” Junkrat said, “It’s been ages since we stayed in a joint this swanky!”

“Then start showing it!” Mei replied, turning away and heading for the hallway before she lost her temper.

Winston may be right about them needing help, but it didn’t seem to make the lanky junker any less annoying. At least she had an excuse to get out of the tower again, the fridge wasn’t going to re-fill itself, and even though Junkrat and Roadhog probably had millions of stolen dollars stashed away somewhere, she doubted they would be putting in for groceries.

Mei reached her room and closed the door, taking a deep breath flopping down onto her bed.

“Hey, little buddy,” she said, reaching up and petting Snowball, “Gonna need your help this week, lots of work to be done.”

Snowballs eyes lit up at her touch and he detached himself from his charger, spinning up into the air to flit around the room.

Mei lay on her back for a while, watching lazily as Snowball floated above her head.

Even this high above the city, she could still hear the ruckus of the markets several stories below as people shouted and laughed, going about their day happily, and the constant roar of traffic on the streets below that, reminding her of why she volunteered for Watchpoint duty in the first place.

It was so loud, so busy...Her mother used to say there was a rhythm to it, but she had never been able to find it. The only place she had ever really been at home was with her research team in Antarctica...

She sat up, shaking her head. “Stop it, Mei,” she whispered to herself, “They’re gone, you have to move forward...”

She slipped out of her sweaty leggings, replacing them with a long blue skirt and a pair of comfortable flats before quickly brushing her hair and heading back out the door, but when she opened it she sighed again, her path blocked by Junkrat.

“Whatcha doin’?” he asked, peering into her room.

Mei stepped out and shut the door tightly; she didn’t want him anywhere near Snowball.

“I’m going to the store, you ate all our food, remember?” she said, trying to step past him.

“Yeah I know,” he said, grinning, “Winston says Roadie and me are to go with you!”

“What?” Mei shook her head, sliding past him, “No way, you still have cleaning to do.”

“Nope!” he said, traipsing along behind her, “Already finished most of it, so our new orders are to help you,”

“Why- no, Winston!” Mei shouted as she ran down the hallway, Junkrat limping along behind her.

“Winston?” she came into the living room and stopped, looking around. The Junkers had done a surprisingly good job of cleaning. The television was still broken, but the kitchen was almost entirely back in order, and the graffiti was completely removed, leaving the walls shining, if slightly damaged from the grenades.

“Yes, Mei?” Winston called from the balcony, his voice suspiciously innocent.

“Winston, I’m going to the store now,” she said, trying to ignore the junker still following her like a puppy, “Can you-”

“Oh, of course,” he said, pulling something from his pocket, “Take this card, it should cover all the expenses.”

“Great,” Mei said, pocketing the black business card, “but can you tell me why you think I need help?”

Winston looked at the junker looming over her shoulder and leaned in, whispering, “Please, Mei. I need to get back downstairs, and Angela and Jack have... Gone out,”

“What about Lena? Can’t she watch them?” Mei whispered back, knowing full well that Angela and Jack had probably sneaked out before they got roped into babysitting again.

“I can’t find her, and I don’t think we can leave them alone... Please?” he whispered, looking at her pleadingly with his big, brown eyes.

Mei groaned, rolling her eyes, “I hate it when you give me that look.”

Winston chuckled, “Thank you, I really appreciate it. Use the card to buy yourself something nice.”

“If they play up, I’m leaving them at the store!” she shouted to him as he left, and she heard his laughter from the other side of the door.

“Alright,” she said, looking around to find Junkrat still standing behind her, “Where is-”  
She heard a grunt and turned to see the giant Roadhog looming over her, holding out the blue bag she had left by the door.

“Thank you,” she said, taking her precious notes and equipment, “I’ll just put this in my room; I’ll meet you in the hallway.”  
Mei ran back to her room and threw her bag onto the bed next to Snowball. She could hear Junkrat talking to Roadhog, and she wondered if the bigger man ever actually spoke. She certainly hadn’t heard him use any words, but unless Junkrat was simply mad, she supposed he had to speak sometimes.

Double and triple checking her pockets for the black card, she returned to the waiting Junkers and prepared to take them out into the city, cursing her luck and her shirking team-mates. Winston may have laughed at her, but Mei wasn’t entirely sure she was joking when she said she would leave them at the store if they played up.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 

The city swirled around them like a kaleidoscope of colour and noise. The sun was beginning to set, but this only caused the crowds to become louder and wilder as the restaurants and bars filled up and people; neon lights and flashing signs flickering to life all around the three Overwatch members as they returned from the mega-mart on foot.

Mei could feel a terrible headache forming as she walked. She had sent the groceries directly to the tower with the delivery service, but the size of Roadhog prevented them from taking a taxi, so she had to guide them through the city which, although easier with the junkers carving a path through the crowd, was difficult because they continued to wander off.

“All I’m saying is,” Junkrat muttered, “If we __had__ bought guns, we could have gotten a lot more,”

“For the last time,” Mei snapped, “We don’t need to rob the place, we have money!”

“Yeah, but we wouldn’t have needed to use it!” he continued, “Then we could’ve kept the money as well!”

Mei sighed, rubbing her temples, “and what good is money if you don’t spend it?”

Junkrat fell silent, slowing his pace as he tried to think of an answer, leaving Mei free to walk in peace.

“We’re nearly back,” she said, looking around, “Wait- where is...” she tried to stand on her toes, which didn’t help, but it was useless anyway, if she couldn’t instantly spot Roadhog in the crowds, then he wasn’t close by.

“Roadhog?” she shouted, “Mr. Rutledge? Where the hell.. Junkrat, can you see Roadhog?”

“Eh?” Junkrat looked down at her, apparently still trying to think of an answer, “Oh, hang on-”

Mei watched in exasperation as Junkrat reached up, grabbing onto a street sign and clambering upwards, almost kicking a pedestrian in the face as he hauled himself onto the sign and jumped to a nearby canopy covering a street stall.

“No, get down, Junkrat-” Mei could hear him giggling as he balanced on the cloth and stood up, making a show of searching the crowds for his friend.

“I can see him!” he shouted after a moment, “Oi, bug guy!” he waved his hands over his head, “I don’t think he can hear me, hang on-” he jumped down from the canopy, ignoring the shouting vendor and grabbing Mei by the arm, pulling her back down the street from where they came.

“Let go of me!” Mei shouted, but he ignored her, his soot covered fingers digging into her arm through her shirt as he dragged her along.

Even through the cloth, she could feel the heat of his skin burning against the coolness of her own, reminding her that, of all the people in the world, he seemed to be the only one that could touch her without getting hurt.

They arrived shortly at an arcade, and Mei instantly shook herself free of his grip, looking around and spotting Roadhog hunched over a claw-machine game located next to the door.

“Oi, Roadie!” Junkrat called, limping up to him, “Whatcha’ got there?”

Mei crept up beside him, looking into the glass box filled with stuffed pachimari toys that held the large man’s attention.

“Umm, Roadhog?” she whispered, “Did you...want one of these?”

Roadhog grunted, nodding his masked head slightly without turning from the toys.

Well, ok,” she sighed, looking at her watch, “But make it quick, It’s already six and we need to get back,”

Mei looked at him expectantly, but he didn’t move.

“He ain’t got no money,” Junkrat snickered, “Don’t worry, I bet if we just-” Junkrat slammed his shoulder into the machine, tipping it slightly.

“Stop that!” Mei shouted, “I already told you, I have money!”

Mei thrust her hand into her pocket, pulling out her wallet and emptying all her coins into her palm.

“Here, use these,” she said, putting one into the slot and watching the machine light up.

…

…

Twenty minutes and seventeen coins later, Mei finally arrived back at Lijiang with the junkers. Roadhog had successfully won himself a stuffed pachimari, which he cradled softy in his big arms the entire walk home, refusing to even let Junkrat touch it, which resulted in loud whining and muttering.

“Just let me hold it for a minute!” Junkrat begged, trying to snatch the toy from Roadhog as they crammed into the elevator, hitting the button for the penthouse floor.

Roadhog held the toy over his head and growled, “Not till you wash your hands!”

“Oh, So you do talk!” Mei said, surprised, “That’s good to know.”

“Course he talks!” Junkrat said, “Never shuts up, and he never shares either!”

Mei watched as Junkrat lunged at Roadhog, climbing onto his back to try and reach the toy.

“Hey, watch it!” Mei cried, pushing herself into the corner as the junkers wrestled, “Stop jumping around, you’re going to break something!”

The junkers ignored her, shouting and grunting as Roadhog slammed into the walls, trying to dislodge Junkrat from his shoulders.

The elevator shuddered under their movements and Mei crouched low in the corner, “Stop this! Junkrat, get off of him and-” the floor shook again and a ear-splitting grinding noise filled the room, causing both the junkers to freeze.

“What was that?” Junkrat frowned, letting out a surprised scream as the whole room trembled and dropped from under their feet, breaking again quickly and causing him to tumble to the floor.

“Great, now we’re stuck!” Mei groaned, pushing the button for their floor uselessly, “I told you not to jump around!”

“It’s not my fault!” Junkrat whined, “He was the one jumping up and down!”

Roadhog growled at Junkrat, who poked his tongue out, only to have it grabbed by the big man, and Mei watched in exasperation as they began to wrestle again.

She reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone to call Winston, who would hopefully be able to get her out of the elevator and away from the junkers before she lost her temper entirely.

“Hello?” Winston’s voice came from the phone, sounding tired, “Mei, is that you?”

“Hey, Winston,” Mei replied, “Could you do me a favour and tell the front desk that one of the elevators are broken?”

“Sure, I’ll drop by after-”

“Actually, could you do it now?” she begged, “I really want to get home, shopping was murder and-”

“The tower has other elevators, can’t you use one of them?” Winston asked.

“I wish,” she said, watching as the junkers rolled around on the floor, “But we’re trapped inside it.”  
”We?” Winston asked, “Junkrat and Roadhog are with you?”

“Sadly, yes.” Mei sighed, “So please hurry.”

Mei rolled her eyes as Winston chuckled, promising to come and get her as soon as possible before hanging up, leaving her alone in the elevator with Junkrat and Roadhog.

“So,” Junkrat said, wriggling out from underneath Roadhog, who had tried to sit on him, “Can you fix it?”

Mei slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor, “Winston will be here soon to help us,” she said, “We just have to stay calm.”

The three of them sat in silence for a bit, Roadhog tossing his toy up and down while Junkrat watched jealously.

For all their fighting, the two men seemed to have a close bond, and Mei could see that their time in the Outback together had made a friendship that was almost enviable. They worked as a team, looking out for each other, and if she looked close enough, Mei could almost see a trace of the men they might have been, had they not been given the painful life of Junkers.

“So, Mei,” Junkrat said, crawling over to her, “How long you been working in Overwatch?”

“Well,” Mei bit her lip as Junkrat settled in beside her, “I guess it’s been about twenty-one years now...”

“Wow, you must be really old!” Junkrat giggled, “You don’t look it, though. Do you get paid much?”

Mei glared at him, but it didn’t affect the grin on his face, “Overwatch isn’t a paying job,” she explained, “It’s more like volunteer work, but if we can gain the support from Lucheng and a few other companies, we can rebuild-”

“Wait, so none of us get paid?” Junkrat interrupted, “What’s the point?”

“Hey, we’ve already given you a roof over your head and food,” Mei snapped, “And if you’re lucky, you might get to make a positive change in the world!”

For some reason this made Junkrat fall into a fit of giggles, and Mei cringed as he wrapped his long arm around her shoulder.

“What’s so funny about that?” she asked, wishing he would remove his arm. She could already feel the warmth of his flesh on the back of her neck where they were touching, heating her body and making her cheeks flush.

“Nothing,” he said, still grinning, “Just would have been nice if your little super hero team was able to stop the bots all those years ago.”

“It’s not like we didn’t try!” she snapped, trying to pull away from him.

“So you fought them as well?” Junkrat asked, his eyes lighting up, “Yeah! Bet you could’ve frozen whole armies! That would have been cool! Ha! Get it?”

Mei shook her head as he cackled at his pun, desperately wishing Winston would harry up.

“I didn’t freeze anyone!” she growled, “I didn’t fight...”

“But you said-” Junkrat frowned, “You said you’ve been at Overwatch for over twenty years! How come you didn’t fight?”

Mei lowered her head and sighed, “I don’t want to talk about it...”

The warmth on her neck increased, and she looked up to see Junkrat leaning against her, his head resting on her shoulder.

“Umm...what-” she stopped as a loud grinding noise filled the room again, and the queasy feeling of movement filled her stomach as the elevator shot upwards.

“Hey, we fixed it!” Junkrat cried, wrapping his other arm around her in a gleeful hug.

Mei gasped, closing her eyes tightly. The sudden need to freeze clashed with the heat of Junkrats’ body, giving her the feeling of a cold sweat as she tried to fight the urge to freeze up.

“You ok?” a voice called. It sounded distant...echoing...

Her head throbbed with each wave of heat and colours bloomed behind her eyes...she could hear herself breathing heavily, but the fear was growing... Everything turned cold...

…

…

 

__Mei opened her eyes to darkness. It was cold...more than cold, the glass in front of her fogged with each breath she took, and her whole body felt numb._ _

__She lifted her arm, pale and stiff. There was a medical tag wrapped around her wrist._ _

__“No...” she whispered, looking up and squinting through the glass._ _

__The darkness was broken by small, blinking lights, and she could just make out the room around her, its walls lined with sleep chambers just like the one she was trapped in._ _

__“No, no...Not again!” she gasped, slamming her fist weakly against the glass, “Please, not again...”_ _

__Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, revealing the panels on the front of each chamber, displaying the vitals of each inhabitant._ _

__She’d been here before, and she knew what would happen, but it didn’t stop her from trying to break free of her prison as each of the lifelines weakened._ _

__“Please, not them!” she begged, watching desperately as the first chamber went dark, the green function light changing to red, “I Can fix this! I can-”_ _

__The second chamber dimmed, flooding the chamber with red light._ _

__“Please!” she cried, her vision blurring with hot tears, “Just let me out, I can save them!” she pounded uselessly on the glass as the third chamber went dark, slowly slipping to the floor of the cryo-pod._ _

__She continued to sob as the last light went out, curling herself into a ball and burying her face, alone in the cold..._ _

__

Mei opened her eyes, squinting in the bright morning sunlight. She sat up and looked around. She was back in her bed at Lijiang tower, and it looked as though she had been out the whole night.

“Ow,” she gasped, sitting up and grabbing her head, “What happened?”

The room was exactly the way she had left it yesterday, but her bags had been shifted to the floor to make room for her, and when she climbed out of bed, she realized she was still in the same clothes she had been wearing when she took the junkers shopping.

She left her room, heading towards the main living area slowly, still rubbing her head. It was clearly very early, and she hadn’t expected anyone to be awake, but when she got there, she found Angela curled up on the couch, coffee in hand.

“You’re awake!” she smiled, gesturing to Mei, “Come here, let me check you over. How do you feel?”

“My head hurts a bit,” Mei muttered, sitting down next to her, “What happened to me? The last thing I remember was being trapped in the elevator...”

“That’s where we found you,” Angela said, “With those...junkers. You froze up again, but you weren’t conscious. You didn’t unfreeze until just after midnight.”

“That’s much longer than usual,” Mei said, “Is that why I feel so sore?”

“Possibly,” Angela said, pulling her med kit over to them and sticking a thermometer in Mei’s mouth, “That junker, the one with the bombs, he was holding onto you so tightly it took Winston and the big one almost ten minutes to pry him off of your ice block... Did he touch you again?”

Mei frowned, trying to remember, “I think so... I think he hugged me again. Do you think he’s the reason I keep freezing?”

“It’s odd,” Angela replied slowly, “He shouldn’t be able to touch you at all... Have you been able to touch anyone else without your protective gear?”

Mei shook her head as Angela took the thermometer and glanced at it worriedly.

“You seem to have a bit of a temperature, Mei,” she said, sounding confused, “It’s still lower than average, but it’s much higher than your usual reading.”

“Why now?” she groaned, “I have so much work to do today!”

“Mei, I want you to take it easy today,” Angela said, “Keep to the tower, if possible. I’m worried about you...”

“Oh, but-” Mei stopped at the look on her face. Angela may have a temper at times, but she was an amazing medic, and she cared deeply for the well-being of everyone.

“Alright,” she sighed, “I’ll take it easy- but only for today, I still have to get all my gear set up in the other quarters.”

“Thank you, Mei,” He smiled, leaning over to kiss the top of Mei’s bun, avoiding her skin, “And let me know if anything else happens, especially around that junker, ok?”

“Sure,” Mei muttered, “I think I’ll go freshen up...”

“Don’t be so gloomy,” Angela giggled, “Remember, some of the others are arriving today!”

Mei smiled, heading down the hallway to the showers. It would be wonderful to see the team together again, and she supposed that one day of rest couldn’t hurt her work too much.

“Not much privacy...” she muttered, looking around the shower room, “Well, maybe I’ll take a trip to the hot-springs tonight...Angela did say to relax!”

She locked the main door before letting herself into one of the shower stalls, turning the water as high as it could go before slipping out of her clothes and burying her head under the torrent.

The pressure eased the ache in her skull slightly, and she felt the rest of her muscles relaxing as the water poured over her body...

What was going on with her body? She was used to freezing in dangerous situations, but she thought she was gaining control over it now...and to stay in her ice for so long, without waking... Was Angela onto something? Was she sick? Was that why Junkrat could touch her?...Or was his touch __making__  her sick...

…

…

By the time she emerged from the shower, the living area was bustling with activity. Angela and Morrison were out on the balcony, whispering over their coffee while Morrison smoked. Winston and Lena were in the kitchen, and they both turned to her as she padded across the room, her hair still damp from the shower.

“How are you feeling?” Winston asked, “Angela said you woke early this morning,”

“Better, now that I’ve finally gotten a shower,” she giggled, “So what are you up to today?”

“More meetings this morning,” Winston sighed, “But I’ll be back in time for lunch, Zarya called this morning, they should be here by then,”

“Zarya’s coming?!” Mei squealed, “I haven’t seen her in months!”

“I thought that would cheer you up,” Winston chuckled, “You take Angela’s advice and rest up, ok?”

Mei nodded and waved goodbye as he left the room, heading back down the tower for what she supposed would be one of many more meetings.

“So,” Lena chirped, resting her hand on her chin and grinning at Mei, “That Junkrat seems rather attached to you,”

“Don’t get me started on him,” Mei growled, fixing herself a coffee, “He’s so annoying!”

Lena raised her eyebrow, smirking at Mei annoyingly, “Well he seems to like you, at least. Took us ages to get him off of you while you were frozen.”

“So Angela said,” Mei said, “What happened exactly?”

“Well, we got the lift going after it’s emergency breaks kicked in, but when the doors opened, the three of you were on the floor. The big one, Roadhog, he seemed happy enough to sit around and play with his toy, but Junkrat... Well, he seemed to think he broke you or something, sounded real cut up about it! He refused to stop clinging to you, even after we carried you inside.”

“Broke me?” Mei asked, laughing slightly.

“His words,” Lena laughed, “Eventually they pulled him off the ice, but he kept hovering around you until Angela ordered him to leave. He kept getting in the way, constantly yammering on and shouting... It was hilarious!”

“Maybe to you,” Mei laughed, trying to imagine the scenario, “Where are they now?”

“Still asleep, I guess,” Lena shrugged, “Glad my room isn’t next to theirs, the racket those two make!”

“Well, I think I’ll disappear before they wake. Want to come down to the gardens with me?” Mei asked, grabbing a banana, “They’re beautiful this time of year!”

“No thanks, love,” Lena said, jumping down from her stool, “I got some stuff to do in town, but you have fun!”

Mei gathered her bag and slipped out the door, deciding to take the stairwell; she’d had enough of lifts for the moment.

The garden levels of Lijiang tower spanned across five stories, all linked by spiraling stairs and bridges that interspersed the lush greenery. Mei wandered for a while, taking out her notebook to write down the different plants, some of which she had feared to be extinct.

“It’s so quiet here,” she whispered, following a small stone path. With the size of the gardens, Mei wasn’t surprised to find herself alone as she walked, it was still early morning, and the hedges weaved and turned so often it was almost like being in a maze.

Eventually the path ended at a stone wall. She looked around to make sure no one was around, then pulled the vines away.

She smiled as she ducked into the cave, avoiding the wetness of the walls as she slipped through, following the path she had found all those years ago.

It was just as she remembered.

The path lead to a gravel-lined clearing, where several old, wooden seats faced a glass wall. Mei pressed her nose to the glass and peered through, gasping with delight when a marvellous dash of red swam past, twirling through the clear water of the pond above.

“Ahh, so you’re still here!” she giggled, watching another giant koi drift past, its fins brushing against the glass.

She settled on one of the benches and pulled out her breakfast, enjoying the cool breeze that came through each end of the grown-over walkway.

She could hear the fountain that rested in the pond splashing and echoing around her and she kicked off her shoes, stretching out on the bench.

Mei had came here the first time she had ever visited Lijiang tower; she had been exploring the gardens with her mother, and stumbled across the tunnel. They had spent hours just sitting, watching the giant koi while her mother told her stories of when these rare fish had been in every stream in the country, and she made a point of returning to this spot every time she came home, just to sit and think, and remember her mother.

Red, white, black- the koi danced past, some longer than she could stretch her arms. A particularly large one floated by, his red body broken only by a white mark on his head, but just as Mei reached out her hand to touch the glass, the display filled with bubbles and something big fell into the water from above.

“What-Oh no!” Mei groaned, shaking her head as a metal peg-leg kicked against the glass, “Can’t I have five minutes of peace?”

Grabbing her bag and shoes, Mei ran out of the cave and turned left, speeding her way up the hill until she reached the pond.

By the time she reached the top of the grass hill, Junkrat was back at the surface, giggling wildly as he clung to the back of the giant koi, flipping over and over while trying to drag it to shore.

“Junkrat!” Mei shouted, “Let go of the fish this instant!”

“But I caught it! That makes it mine!” he shouted back before being pulled back under the water.

“You let it go and get out of the water right now,” she shouted again, “Or I swear I will freeze you and leave you to drown in there!”

“Aww, but-” Junkrat struggled as he came closer to shore, still holding the koi in his arms, “I was gonna’ cook it!”

“What?” Mei stared in shock as the lanky junker tried to haul the fish to land, almost breaking her stern look when the fish slapped him hard in the face with its tail.

“I was gonna’-nyah! Cook it! Ow!” Junkrat slipped on the muddy bank, falling to the ground with a heavy thud as the fish wriggled back into the water, disappearing with an offended splash.

“Bugger!” he shouted, slapping his hands on the ground, “That was the biggest one!”

Mei quickly hid her grin and strolled over to him, leaving her belongings on the dry grass, “Why would you want to cook it?” she asked, looking down at him, “Do you know how rare those fish are?”

“I was hungry, and- wait!” he scrambled to his feet, “You’re awake!”

“Yeah, I woke-” Mei stopped, taking a hurried step back when Junkrat tried to lunge at her.

“Oh, Sorry! Sorry, sorry...” he muttered, stepping back and looking at her worriedly, “Are you feeling better, though?” he asked, tapping the tips of his fingers together nervously.

Mei couldn’t stay mad, it wasn’t in her nature, and he looked so concerned, standing there dripping wet and covered in mud.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she smiled, “Now, why were you trying to murder an endangered fish?”

“Well, it’s like I said,” he shrugged, “I was hungry, and Roadie cooks a mean fish, you see...and I thought...” he trailed off, looking away from her.

“Yes?” she pressed, placing her hands on her hips and looking up at him.

“Well... The angel lady said you were sick, and everyone knows that soup is the best thing when you’re sick...” he refused to look at her, rubbing his hand through his smouldering hair.

This stumped Mei, and she dropped her hands, looking at him with suspicion, “You...wanted to make food for me?”

“Well, yeah!” Junkrat grinned, “I thought since you were frozen and all, We could make something hot...”

“Oh...I-” Mei felt her cheeks heating as he smiled at her, “That’s... Very nice of you, Umm, Junkrat...thanks,”

“So, you’re not sick?” he asked, taking a tentative step closer.

“Well...” Mei bit her lip, she didn’t want to tell him what was happening, but as far as she could tell, he was the catalyst, and he did seem genuinely concerned...

“What do you know of cryo-technology and it’s effects on the human body?” she asked, walking back to her things and sitting on the grass.

“Not a thing!” he crowed proudly, limping up beside her and flopping onto the ground.

“Well,” Mei giggled, “A long time ago, Overwatch experimented with the technology. It was very dangerous, and...the first tests didn’t go so well.”

“How dangerous?” he asked, looking excited, “And what does it do? Can it kill people?”

“Yes,” Mei said softly, turning her head and gazing out at the pond, “It’s supposed to be a way of freezing a person, so they can survive a long time and be woken up later. I was...one of the test subjects.”

“Woah!” Junkrat giggled, his eyes wide, “That’s why you can freeze up?”

“When I was first woken from cryo, I froze up all the time,” She said, smiling slightly, “Every hint of danger, and- poof! Human ice cube!”

Junkrat fell into fits of laughter as she threw her hands up, rolling around on the grass.

“Eventually I learned how to do it willingly,” Mei said, laying back on the grass and looking up at the sky, “But it still kicks in every now and then...It’s like a sneeze, once you feel it coming, you can’t really stop it.”

“Wait,” Junkrat stopped laughing and rolled over, propping his head up on his hand, “So it happens when you’re scared?”

“Pretty much,” Mei shrugged, rolling onto her side to face him, “It’s pretty useful sometimes!”

Junkrat frowned, leaning closer, “Are you...scared of me?”

“What?” Mei said, pulling back, “No!”

Junkrat crawled closer, “But, whenever I touch you-”

“It’s not- I’m not scared of you!” she stuttered, trying to laugh it off, but Junkrat kept crawling closer, “I’m the one that caught you!”

“Then why do you freeze up so much when I-” he reached out, grabbing her wrist forcefully.

Mei tried to pull away, but his grip was like a vice, his fingers digging deeply into her bare flesh, and he crawled quickly over to her, his tongue sticking out with concentration.

“Hey! Let go of me!” Mei growled, “Why are you so damn touchy?” She pulled hard, almost rolling over with the effort. “I’m not scared of you!” she shouted, “But you shouldn’t be able to touch me!”

Junkrat let go suddenly, leaving her to fall back onto the grass while he looked at her in shock.

“You...shouldn’t be able to touch me...at all,” Mei panted, putting some distance between herself and the grabby junker, “When I was woken up, my skin was cold, to cold to touch! and anyone that did, they...got hurt. I think that’s why I freeze when you touch me,” she admitted.

“But it doesn’t hurt at all!” Junkrat cried, reaching out to touch her again, “Look-” He took her hand, far more gently this time, his fingers lacing between hers and smearing her hand with mud.

“I know,” Mei sighed, looking at their hands, “It’s so strange...I wonder...” Mei tightened their grip, her pale fingers wrapping around Junkrats’ hand as she pressed their palms together. It was very warm, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

She turned around, searching for her notebook and pulling it out, “Let’s do a little experiment,”

Junkrat watched excitedly as Mei scrawled across the page, “Ok, I’m going to try and find the point that I freeze when we touch,” she explained, “We’ll start small, and I’ll write out the symptoms.”

“What do I do?” Junkrat asked, wriggling his fingers against hers and grinning, clearly enjoying himself.

“Well, Touching hands produces...” Mei used her free hand to write as she spoke, “Mild warmth in the immediate area, but no negative side effects. So lets try something a little bigger.”

Mei quickly pulled her jacket off and tossed it aside, leaving her arms and shoulders bare in her singlet.

“Ok, Junkrat, could you please slide your hands slowly up my arms?” She looked at him expectantly.

“Okie dokie! I’ll just...” Junkrat placed his hands on top of hers, concentrating on moving them slowly across her skin. Mei could feel the difference already; her arms grew warm and her heart began to beat faster the further up he moved, his fingers leaving a liquid trail of heat on her skin as they traced her arms, even the prosthetic set.

“Wow! Ok, maybe-” Mei took a deep breath as his hands arrived at her shoulders and he stopped, unsure what to do next.

“You going to freeze?” he asked, biting his lip.

“No, no...I’m fine!” Mei smiled, “Just let me write this down,” she snatched up her notebook and quickly jotted down the changes.

“Should I keep going?” Junkrat asked, his fingers tapping nervously on her collarbone.

Mei nodded, but before she could give a direction, Junkrat grinned wickedly, letting one hand slide to her neck as he shifted his body closer, bringing his face level with hers.

“How’s that?” he asked, “going to freeze now?”

Mei took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could feel the heat radiating from Junkrat’s face and hair, only inches from her own, and his fingers rested on her pulse, heating her blood with each beat of her rapidly increasing heart.

“M-mild discomfort,”She stuttered, “Increase in heart rate and b-body temperature...”

She felt him move, his other hand coming to rest on her thigh. His breath poured over her neck as he curled up closer to her, and when she opened her eyes, he was looking right at her, his eyes almost sparkling with mischief.

“How ‘bout now?” he asked, each word causing a wave of heat to flood through her body.

“Is it getting too much for ya’?”

Mei didn’t know what to say, and even if she did, words seemed to have escaped her. His touch was setting her body and mind on fire, and she struggled to breath as her chest became tight and her fingers turned cold; a sure sign she was about to freeze.

If Junkrat knew she was beginning to seize up, he didn’t care. He continued to giggle and trace his hand along her thigh, his mouth moving closer to her neck...

“You going to freeze?” He whispered, laughter in his words, “Am I scaring ya’?”

Mei tried to answer, but she couldn’t focus. A war had broken out in her body between fire and ice, with the rallying points of the heat focused on her neck and thigh, bolstered by Junkrat’s whispered words, and the ice gaining ground on her extremities, targeting her chest where her heart beat a war rhythm.

The scales were tipped when something hot and wet darted against her neck, causing her to squeak; Junkrat’s tongue traced her pulse between high-pitched giggles, and his hand tightened on her thigh, but the next moment he was pushed forcefully back as a shield of ice slammed down between them, covering Mei entirely and leaving Junkrat sprawled on the grass, a confused and slightly guilty look on his flushed face.

“Nyah! What do I do?” she heard him shout though the thick layer of ice, “Snowflake! What do I do? Are you stuck? Should I-” he looked around, panicked, as though hoping to find help nearby.

Mei ignored him, concentrating on her heart rate. She had been lucky this time; she was still conscious, but her mind was racing, repeating every touch from Junkrat over and over, and each time she thought she was gaining control she would feel the flicker of his tongue on her neck, and hear heart would explode all over again.

She didn’t know how long she was frozen, but the next time she opened her eyes, a crowd of people had formed around her, Junkrat at the forefront with his face pressed to the ice, watching her nervously.

The silhouettes seemed familiar; she could make out a tall woman with pink hair, and the distinctive shape of a cowboy hat...

The ice melted rapidly, shattering and falling to the grass around her and leaving her laying on her back, exhausted as crowd gathered around her, looking down, and Mei recognized the faces of Zarya, Lucio and Hana. The drop-ship had arrived early.   

  
 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The results of Junkrat and Mei’s test caused an all-out fiasco in the gardens of Lijiang that morning.

Mei, barely conscious, was carefully wrapped in her jacket and carried back inside by Zarya, despite her weak protests that she was fine. She had tried to defend Junkrat, who danced around Zarya’s feet nervously, ignoring the barrage of questions from Angela and Winston, but her voice was barely heard over the shouting that came from the rest of the group.

Along with Zarya, Hana and Lucio, four other people had arrived in the drop-ship. Mcree, Genji and Zenyatta all trailed after them, asking their own curious questions about the presence of two criminal junkers in the hotel, and to Lena’s delight, Winston had invited Emily to spend the week with them for the festival.

“This is getting out of control!” Angela shouted as she tended to Mei on the lounge, the rest of the team gathering around them, “Winston he’s deliberately harming her!”

“No I ain’t!” Junkrat shouted back, clambering onto the arm of the lounge near Mei’s head.

“Angela, he didn’t-” Mei tried to be heard, but Angela’s words caused a new outbreak of chatter among the team.

“What are they doing here?” Mcree asked loudly.

“Wait, who are they?” Emily asked Lena.

“What sort of harm is he causing her?” Zenyatta questioned Angela.

“I want to know this too!” Zarya added, sounding livid, “What is he doing to her?”

“Wait, what’s happening?” Lucio asked, taking off his headphones as he came inside, clearly confused.

“Enough!” Winston called, gaining their attention, “You. Explain.” Winston pointed at Junkrat, who cringed.

“We were just doing an experiment!” Junkrat rushed to say, “I only did what she asked! Well, mostly... But I didn’t hurt her on purpose!”

“I’m not hurt,” Mei said, finally able to get a word in, “He’s telling the truth, Winston. I was curious about why he could touch me and-”

“He can touch you?!” Zarya said, astounded.

“Yeah! See?” Junkrat slapped his hand on top of Mei’s head, “Don’t hurt at all!”

Mei waved his hand away and sat up, getting annoyed. All she wanted was to go to her room and rest.

“Please don’t make a big thing out of this,” she sighed, “Junkrat did as I asked. I’m sorry we scared you, and I realise I shouldn’t have tried it without proper supervision, but I’m fine!”

“This is most unusual,” Zenyatta said, peering closely at Junkrat, who curled away from the Omnic with a poisonous look on his face, “Perhaps Mei is right, it should be studied.”

“I agree with the Omnic,” Zarya said, “Do you suppose it’s part of his mutation?”

“Oi!” Junkrat growled, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, “I ain’t a mutant!”

“Maybe,” Angela said thoughtfully, “I could take some blood samples and-”

“Nyah! No samples!” Junkrat cried, attempting to hide behind Mei, “I ain’t a mutant, and you’re not taking my blood!”  
”No one’s taking your blood,” Mei said, trying to calm him, “Angela, please. I can handle this myself.”

“Alright,” Winston said, gaining everyone’s attention, “Everyone settle down and I’ll explain. Mei, are you sure you’re ok?”

Mei nodded, getting up and patting her friend gently on the arm, “Yes, thank you. I just need a bit of rest. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

As the rest of the team gathered around Winston to hear his explanation, Mei headed down the all to her room, only realising Junkrat was still attempting to use her as a shield when she reached her door..

“Junkrat, you can stop hiding, Angela won’t touch you if you don’t want to get tests done.”

“What about the rest of them?” he asked, tapping his fingers together nervously, “I never agreed to work with bots!”

“You mean Zenyatta?” Mei asked, surprised, “He’s a Guru! He would never hurt you!”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the idea of Junkrat being afraid of Zenyatta, of all people.

“Bots can’t be trusted,” Junkrat huffed, following her into her room when she opened the door, “And they called me a mutant!”

“Well,” Mei said, biting her lip as she sat on her bed, “Technically you are... I mean, your hair-”

“Nyah! What about it?” Junkrat asked, reaching up to pat the sparking strands.

“It’s on fire!” She laughed, “You do realise that, don’t you?”

“Yeah! But that don’t mean... it isn’t ‘cause- I just like it that way!” he growled, flopping onto the bed next to her, “Nothing wrong with a bit of fire!”

Mei shook her head, laughing, “But you were so excited earlier about having __magic__  powers!”

Junkrat scowled up at her, clearly still upset.

“Don’t be mad,” she said, still giggling, “I’m sorry you got in trouble for helping me, can I make it up to you?”

Junkrat looked at her slyly, “How?”

“Well, how about lunch?” Mei said, “You said you were hungry earlier?”

Junkrat scrunched up his face, thinking hard, “Hmm...What kind of lunch?”

“Whatever you like,” Mei laughed, “But it will have to be from the food markets in Lijiang, I think Angela’s head might explode if I leave the tower.”

 

 

Half an hour later Mei and Junkrat finally made it out of the penthouse and down to the market levels along with the rest of the team. Winston had explained the presence of the junkers and all had agreed that his choice to allow them in Overwatch was the best course of action, resulting in nothing more strenuous than curious questions as Mei lead the way down to the markets.

“Nyahaha! So many choices!” Junkrat shouted, immediately disappearing into the crowd of shoppers between the clustered array of restaurants and food stalls that dominated the square.

“Junkrat, come back!” Mei shouted, trying to follow him but getting cut off by the crowd.

“Let him go,” Zarya said dismissively, “How much trouble can he possibly cause?”

“You’d be surprised,” Mei said, leading the way to a sushi bar with several empty tables set out under a colourful shade, “he seems to find trouble without even trying.”

“Perhaps that’s what made him such a good criminal,” Zarya laughed, “I can’t really see him being suited to anything else.”

“It’s not really his fault,” Mei argued as they took their seats, the rest of the team joining them, “He’s not a bad person, he’s just... Made some bad choices!”

Zarya snorted loudly as a waiter took their drink orders and Mei picked up her menu. The irony that she had sounded just like Zarya a few days ago was not lost on her, but she had always had a soft spot for creatures in need of defending, no matter how annoying they were.  

“It’s so nice to see everyone together again!” Mei said, looking around happily. Zarya was sitting across from her with Hana and Lucio to her right. Mcree and Morrison were already deeply involved in an argument about the latest western film to hit Hollywood while Angela sat at the end of the table with Zenyatta and Genji, their conversation to quiet to be overheard, and Winston sat at the opposite end with Lena and Emily, looking more relaxed than he had been since arriving at Lijiang.

Sitting quietly to to her left was Roadhog, who seemed happy to sit quietly and stare at each of the other group members in turn.

“I agree,” Zarya said, “and even better to be together without impending danger. It’s almost as though the world can’t function a day without us any more. Never any time off.”

“Oi!” a shout came from the pathway outside, and Mei looked over to see Junkrat struggling through the crowd to the table, “Where’d you go? I was looking for ya!”

Junkrat weaved his way between the chairs until her reached Mei, squeezing in between her and Roadhog and nearly knocking a tray of drinks from a nervous looking waiters hand.

Mei tried not to notice the rush of heat from his arm as he pressed against her, wiggling around to make room for himself.

“You’re the one that wandered off,” Mei scolded, thanking the waiter and handing around the drinks, “Here, I ordered you one as well,” she said, placing two schooners of beer in front of Junkrat and Roadhog.

A huge grin split Junkrat’s face and he took a messy gulp, then sighed with an almost exaggerated enjoyment.

Mei took a sip of her cherry vodka, feeling the alcohol rush through her and warm her limbs in a similar fashion to Junkrat’s touch, and she sighed as well. Although it was wonderful to see everyone again, she couldn’t help but feel as though they were wasting time, somehow. Zarya was right, the world needed them, and every second they spent here not working was a step backwards in her opinion. It was bad enough that she had missed a full day’s research, but her attention was further drawn from her work by Junkrat, and as hard as she tried, she just couldn’t seem to relax and join in the conversation around her.

Eventually their food arrived and more drinks were ordered, and Mei perked up a bit, laughing when Junkrat sniffed his sushi suspiciously, only taking a bite after his bodyguard had declared it edible.

The afternoon wore on, and as the sun began to disappear, replaced by small, glittering fairy lights that curled around the shade cloths and tables, the conversation at their table grew louder with each round of drinks, almost drowning out the street band that had set up across the mall from them.

Mei was leaning on the table, straining to see around Junkrat as Zarya and Roadhog prepared to engage in an arm wrestling match, something that Zarya liked to do with all new team mates. Mei always teased Zarya, telling her she was over-compensating, but in truth she new that Zarya did it to test the reaction of the competitors when they either one or lost; if they gloated too much or threw insults, then it was a good way of seeing how they would work in a team.

“Show her who’s boss!” Junkrat shouted, egging Roadhog on as they positioned their arms.

“Go, Zarya!” Mei called happily, nudging Junkrat’s arm out of the way, “put these bully’s in their place!”

“Oi!” Junkrat spun around, shifting his arm and wrapping it around Mei’s shoulder so she could have a better view, “I ain’t a bully!”

Mei vaguely felt the heat around her neck, but after downing several drinks she was covered n the familiar buzzing blanket of tipsiness, and she curled closer to the giggling junker, laughing, “You are such a bully!” She slurred.

“You’re the bully!” Junkrat whined, “Always bossing me round!”

“I don’t boss you around!” she laughed, “I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble!”

The word babysitter was muttered from further down the table, and Mei turned to see Lena leaning against Emily, grinning cheekily and raising her eyebrow.

Mei glared at her, but the effect was ruined by Junkrat leaning heavily against her, still complaining loudly about people telling him what to do.

“I think you’re right, Emily!” Lena said loudly, “They would make a cute couple!”

Mei’s mouth dropped open and she felt her cheeks go red. Half the table turned from their own conversations to look over at her, still trapped under Junkrat’s arm. She quickly shoved his arm away, which interrupted his constant chatter and he turned to her, looking alarmed.

“You need to freeze?” he asked, resulting in a fresh wave of giggling from Lena.

“N-no, I’m fine,” Mei said, shooting a withering glance at Lena, “I’m just tired, I think I’ll call it a night-”

“You cannot leave yet!” Zarya said, slamming Roadhogs hand down onto the table with ease, “it’s barely eight!”

“I’m sorry, Zarya,” Mei said, standing up, “We can catch up more tomorrow,”

Mei was bombarded with pleas for her to stay for more rounds, but she smiled, waving away their offers. She really was tired, and the vodka was beginning to get to her head, so she thanked everyone and said her good-night’s, stepping out of the dining area and onto the cobbled pathway.

“Wait up!” Junkrat called, and she turned around to see him crawling over a chair that was blocking his path, resulting in more laughter from the table behind them where Lena, backed by Hana and Lucio, were making noises similar to a group of high school girls.

“You can stay,” she said, trying to ignore their team mates, “You don’t have to leave just because I am.”

“But I want to come with you!” Junkrat argued, and Mei groaned at the wave of soppy “Aww!” noises that followed, cursing Lena mentally and hoping the cheeky girl woke with a killer hangover in the morning.

“besides, I got something I want to show ya,” he said proudly, digging into his pocket as they began to walk away from the restaurant, “I reckon’ you’ll love it!”

“What is it?” Mei asked, curious.

Junkrat grinned slyly, “Wait till we get inside,” he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd.

Mei allowed herself to be dragged back to the building entrance, but stopped at the stairs, looking up and groaning, “Eugh, I really don’t think I can climb all of those. Do you think you can behave yourself in the elevator?”

Junkrat looked down at her, frowning, “Whaddya’ mean?”

Mei saw he was swaying slightly on his metal leg, and she realized he must be at least as drunk as her if he couldn’t remember breaking the elevator yesterday, not no mention his word were becoming slurred.

“Come on,” She sighed, leading them into the elevator and pressing the button to their floor.

The doors closed and the familiar lifting filled her stomach as the rose steadily.

“What was it you wanted to show me?” she asked, turning to Junkrat.

“Oh yeah!” he giggled, reaching into his pocket again and pulling something out, holding his closed fist out to Mei expectantly.

Mei looked at him nervously for a moment, then held her palm out, letting him drop the small, silver object into her hand.

“A comb?” she asked, holding the delicately carved hairpiece up to the light.

“You like it, don’t you?” Junkrat asked, looking down at her nervously. He looked as though any minute he would snatch the gift away again and attempt to run out of the elevator.

“W-Where did you get this?” she asked suspiciously.

“I-err...” Junkrat bit his lip, “I found it!”

“You found it?” Mei said disbelievingly.

“Yeah! I found it!” he said, warming to the explanation, “Found it and thought it was pretty,so I figured you-”

“Where did you find it?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. She thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to hear him say it.

“N-nyah! I just found it, ok?” Junkrat whined, clearly unhappy with how this was going.

Mei straightened herself as best she could and put her hands on her hips, “Jamison Fawkes you tell me right now where you got this comb!”

Junkrat made a high pitched whining noise as he bounced from foot to foot, trying to stall.

“Did you steal it?” she pressed.

“N-maybe...” he said, lowering his head.

“Where from?” she sighed.

“Not telling,” he said stubbornly as the lift doors opened, stepping out into the hallway.

Mei shook her head as they came into the penthouse, “It’s lovely,” she said, “but you know I cannot accept this, right?”

“Why not?” Junkrat asked, offended, “ _ _You__  didn’t steal it!”

“Yes, but I know that it’s stolen,” she replied, “So if you give it to me, I’ll be obliged to try and return it to its rightful owner!”

“Ya’ can’t return it if I don’t tell ya’ where I got it!” Junkrat giggled, clearly proud of his logic.

“Gah! You are so frustrating!” she growled, walking off to her room, “Why would you want to give me this anyway?”

Junkrat didn’t answer, so Mei pocketed the comb. “I’m going to bed,” she said angrily, “We can sort this out tomorrow.”

“N-no! Wait!” Junkrat shouted, grabbing her by the arm and spinning her around to face him.

“What?” she said, getting annoyed.

“I Jus’...I wanna- Nyah!” Junkrat stuttered desperately, and before she knew what was happening, her back was against the wall, pinned there by six feet of junker as his mouth slammed into hers.

Mei suddenly understood why he had wanted to give her a gift.

Junkrat’s tongue flicked out, forcing her lips open and sliding into her mouth as he pressed harder against her, making small, high-pitched whimpering sounds as his hands slipped down her thighs.

The smell of soot and hot sweat bombarded her senses and she tried to lift her arms and push him away, but when her hands reached his chest it was like pushing against molten fire and her focus slipped again, leaving her lost and dizzy in his grip, and when he finally released her, pulling away to catch his breath with a dazed grin, all she could do was stare at him.

“Hehe...wanted to do that for ages,” he giggled, “Thought you would freeze...”  
”I-I don’t...” Mei couldn’t think straight. The urge to freeze was definitely there, but it seemed less forceful somehow, as though the vodka’s she had downed had blunted the instinct.

“You ok?” he asked, the grin slipping from his face slightly.

“W-why would you... Why did- what the hell?!” she squeaked, putting a hand to her head to stop it from spinning.

Junkrat looked just as confused as her, but there was something else in his eyes... Hurt?

“Why would you do that?” she asked again, more forcefully.

“I-I wanted to!” he said nervously, “because I like you and-”

“Like me?” Mei sad, astonished, “You don’t even know me!”

Junkrat fell silent and Mei took the chance to slip out from between his large frame and the wall, disappearing quickly down the hallway to her room and slamming the door before he could muster an answer.

“...what?” Mei sat down on her bed, wrapping her arms around herself and closing her eyes. She could still smell the soot and oil from his skin, still taste his lips on her own, and the stimulation to her senses was only serving to heighten the panic in her chest, driving her mad.

She curled up on the bed, not even bothering to turn off the light. Her mind kept repeating the feel of Junkrat pressed against her, how forceful and excited he was, and how, despite her confusion and anger, he had excited her just as much.

 

 

Mei woke early and spent the day out in the city, leaving before anyone else was awake. From the looks of the kitchen when she had made herself breakfast, the impromptu party had carried on late into the night after she had left, and had ended in the penthouse with what appeared to have been a very intense game of poker, and she doubted if any of them would be awake before lunch.

Spending the entire day focusing on her work served as a better stress relief than Mei would have believed, and despite the twist in her stomach every time she thought of Junkrat and what had happened, she felt better than she had all week by the time she returned to Lijiang late in the afternoon.

“Where have you been?” Lena asked as she came through the door. She was laying with Emily on the couch watching cartoons, and both girls looked exhausted.

“I was out working,” Mei said, “I caught up on most of the stuff I missed yesterday. Where is everyone else?”

“Winston is in another meeting,” she said, her voice cracking painfully, “and Angela and Genji left about an hour ago. Not sure about anyone else, probably still in bed.”

Mei shook her head and laughed, making herself a cup of tea as the girls turned back to their cartoons and self-pity.

She excused herself and went to her room, pulling out the notes she had made that day and reading through them as she sipped her tea and kicked off her shoes, sprawling out on the bed.

“Hey little guy!” she smiled, petting Snowball on the head as he zoomed around her excitedly, “Sorry I didn’t bring you today, it’s just too hot and crowded to be carrying the climate manipulator everywhere, I promise I’ll have some work for you soon, though.”

Snowball spun in a circle making high pitched whizzing noises and Mei laughed, watching him dance around the room for a while.

Eventually she hauled herself off the bed and down the hallway to the showers, once again finding the room empty thanks to the heavy drinking of her team the night before, and she quickly scrubbed up, changing into a light, sating night-dress and disappearing back into her room to finish writing her notes for the night, only reappearing in the living area once to make herself something quick for dinner.

The sun had set and her eyes were aching by the time she finished, and she pushed her chair away from the gigantic pile of note with a sigh, stretching her arms above her head.

“Whew! There was more there than I thought!” she said to snowball, who opened one eye to peer at her.

Feeling very satisfied, Mei began to tidy her work while her thoughts drifted longingly to her bed.

A soft tap came from her left and she turned, looking about the room and seeing nothing.

“What-” the tapping sounded again and she left her notes, walking over to the window and opening it.

The rose garden below was quiet and still, with not even a breeze to disrupt the tranquil scene.

Mei shrugged, too exhausted to care and flopped onto the bed. She was just reaching to turn the bedside lamp off when the tapping sounded again and she growled, sitting up and glaring at the window. Thoroughly annoyed, she jumped back out of bed, but before she could move, something big and loud came flying through the window. Mei screamed as Junkrat slammed into the wall across the room, laughing wildly when he slumped to the ground.

“Junkrat! What- how?!” Mei gaped at him, looking from the crumpled mess that was Junkrat to the window that was easily seven meters from the ground.

“Nyah! How good was that!” Junkrat giggled, getting clumsily to his feet, “Shame it was open, glass makes the best sound when you go through it!”

“How the hell did you do that?” Mei half shouted.

“Roadie,” Junkrat shrugged, pointing to the window casually.

Mei walked over to the window and looked out. Directly below her, just before the the thorny bushes, was Roadhog. He waved up at her politely.

Mei waved back, more confused than before.

“Big guy’s got a hell of a throw,” Junkrat giggled, flopping down onto her bed and instantly smearing the white sheets with black soot, “Good aim, too.”

“What are you doing in here?” Mei asked, glaring at him, “And why didn’t you just use the door?”

Junkrat lay back on the bed, crossing his arms behind his head, “Figured you’d just slam it in my face,” he shrugged, a sly grin in his face.

“What do you want?” she sighed, weariness overcoming anger.

“Did you return the comb?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

“How could I?” Mei said, “You wouldn’t tell me where you got it.”

This made Junkrat fall into fits of laughter so strong that he tore at his own hair and kicked his feet with glee.

“Is that what you came here for?” she growled, getting annoyed again.

“Nah,” Junkrat shrugged, stifling his giggles, “Just wanted to see ya’ is all!”

“Well you can see me tomorrow,” she snapped, “It’s late and I want to go to sleep.”

“Aww!” Junkrat whined, “But I just got here!”

“Then you should have came at a descent hour, now get out!” she replied, pointing at the door.

Junkrat narrowed his eyes and smirked, pretending to consider it, then replied, “Make me.”

“Eugh! You are so annoying!” she snapped, “Don’t make me go and get Winston!”

“Nyahaha! Running to your boss? What’s the matter, you scared of me?” he laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I’m not scared of you!” Mei said, “I just want to go to bed!”

“You can go to bed,” Junkrat giggled, shifting to one side of the bed and patting the mattress, “Plenty of room!”

Mei closed her eyes and counted back from five, trying her best not to let his snickering get to her.

“What will it take for you to leave me alone?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Junkrat actually did consider her question this time, biting his lip and frowning for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he looked at her mischievously.

“I want another kiss.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Mei stared blankly at her bed where Junkrat lay sprawled, a wicked grin on his face as he waited for her to react to his request, his fingers dancing across the soft sheets in excitement.

“Y-you want...what?” Mei stammered.

“You heard me,” Junkrat giggled, turning his head to the side.

Mei shook her head slowly, “I’m not going to...I don’t- you can’t just force people to kiss you!” she gave a half-hearted laugh, “Or is that the only way you can get girls?”

“Oh, I can get the sheilas,” Junkrat snickered, “And I reckon’ I already got one right here, she’s just to afraid to make a move!”

Mei made a confused noise somewhere between a scoff and a squeal and crossed her arms, “For the last time, I’m not afraid of you!”

“Prove it!” Junkrat replied coolly, his fingers still tapping on the mattress.

Mei took a deep breath and lowered herself slowly onto the bed next to him, glaring the entire time. His grin only served to annoy her more and she decided to beat him at his own game; If he wanted proof, he was going to get it!

Junkrat rolled onto his back, giggling as Mei placed a hand on either side of his head and slowly leaned down. She tried not to notice how little he blinked, or how sharp his teeth were, instead focusing on her breathing and letting her anger carry her all the way down.

She closed her eyes just before she was level with him, feeling the heat from his skin and hair on her face, and she pressed her lips softly to his.

Junkrat stopped giggling the moment they touched and a high-pitched growling noise rose from the back of his throat. Mei tried to pull away at the noise but his hands snapped around her tightly, pulling her down on top of his bare chest with a squeal.

Mei felt like she had fallen into a volcano as the forceful junker deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue deep into her mouth before she could protest. His body was burning below her and his hips thrust upwards violently, jostling her until her thighs slipped to either side and she was straddling him. She could feel his hardness through his shorts, pressing into her underwear with each grind, combining with the heat and his tongue to melt her until she was sweating and panting against him.

Mei pushed herself up with her hands, breaking the kiss to stare at him.

“That’s more like it,” Junkrat giggled, his hands resting on the top of her thighs.

“I-I don’t know if-” Mei struggled to put her thoughts into a sentence. Her body was screaming for opposite things. Half wanting to freeze up and disappear, and half wanting to ram her tongue back into Junkrat’s mouth.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, frowning, “Are you gonna’ freeze?”

“Maybe- No, I don’t think so, it’s just-” Junkrat pushed himself up and kissed her again, far more gently than before, causing her to sigh into his mouth as knots twisted in her stomach.

“I can go...if you want,” Junkrat said quietly, pulling away and looking up at her.

Something snapped in her mind and she smiled. It was the kindness in his words, the honesty in his eyes... Suddenly the anxiety nestling in the back of her brain dissipated, replaced with something she hadn’t felt in a long time: confidence.

She leaned forward and kissed him, her hand weaving into the knotted mass of burning hair and she felt him smile against her lips, giggling between breaths.

The warmth between her thighs was no longer just from their contact, and she wiggled her hips, making him thrust up against her with a moan.

“N-nice,” he gasped, pulling away to trace kisses on her neck, “been thinking bout this since I first saw you,”

Mei blushed, slipping off his lap and landing on the bed beside him. Junkrat followed her movements, latching firmly onto her neck with his teeth as they rolled until he was poised above her.

“Hold on,” she said, pulling the pin from her hair and placing it on the night-stand with her glasses. Junkrat stared down at her, his grin wider than ever, “What?” she asked, trying to hide her discomfort with the attention.

“Nothing,” Junkrat said, his face flushing pink,“Just...your hair’s much longer than I thought...”

Mei didn’t know what to say, but Junkrat broke the awkwardness by sliding out of her vision and down the bed.

“Hey! What-” Mei tried to sit up and look at him, but he pushed her back easily with one hand.

She lay back on the pillow, unsure where to look as his hands slipped under her robe, pushing it up slowly. She could hear him making soft, frustrated grunts as he fought with the cloth, when his fingers slipped into the top of her underwear she squeaked, pulling back instinctively and causing him to look up at her in alarm.

“You’re real jumpy, ain’t you?” Junkrat said, not unkindly.

“I’m not scared of you,” Mei snapped, then sighed, “It’s just...been a while.”

That was an understatement, considering no one had touched her in over ten years.

“Close your eyes,” Junkrat ordered. Mei lay back on the pillow and closed them obediently, trying not to think.

She felt his fingers return to her underwear, pulling them down slowly. He slipped one hand under her thigh and lifted her hips slightly, pulling them off easily and tossing them away. Mei took a deep breath, knowing that he was staring at her. She felt vulnerable, and tried to close her legs, but strong hands pushed them aside, leaving her on display.

It felt like he watched her for an eternity, and she was just about to say something when the first hot, wet caress of his tongue slipped over her slit, making her cry out and jump.

Junkrat pushed her hips back down firmly, sliding his tongue over her again and eliciting a heady moan from her as liquid heat flooded downwards.

It was like nothing she could remember. His touches were slow and deliberate, testing and tasting every inch of her folds before dipping slightly into her hole, then back out and upwards to the knot of sensitive nerves that sent a shock through her body with each touch.

Her embarrassment slowly ebbed away as his caresses grew deeper, replaced with pants and sighs and a growing urge to thrust against his mouth.

“Oh- Junkrat...” she gasped softly, gripping the sheets as his tongue slid deep inside of her. A muffled sound came from between her legs and she giggled as he pulled away from her.

“W-what?” she asked, looking down at him and cringing slightly at the shining layer of wetness on his cheeks.

“Jamison,” he said, ducking back down and flicking his tongue over her clit, making her moan again.

“Ohhh...” Mei tried to say his name, but all that came out was a breathy cry for more and she suddenly found her hands in his hair, pushing urgently against him as his tongue swirled and flicked rapidly across her sensitive clit.

The heat was building, washing over her in waves from her core to the tips of her fingers, making her toes curl with each new angle of Junkrats tongue, burning into her and almost blinding her with the raw sensations.

“Jamison...I- I think- Ohh!” She wriggled about, clinging desperately to him as his hands held her pinned. It was too much... Too hot... “W-wait!” she cried, jumping suddenly and pulling away from him, panting heavily.

“What?” Junkrat said, looking up at her in shock as she curled up at the head of the bed.

Mei tried to clear her head. Her heart was beating out of her chest and a painful ache formed between her legs, protesting the sudden loss of contact.

“I-I’m sorry...” she gasped, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me...”

Junkrat studied her for a moment, his expression thoughtful, then he crawled up the bed to her, brushing a strand of hair from her sweaty face.

“You just gotta’ relax,” he said, grinning, “Ignore that big brain of yours!”

Mei laughed, feeling a little better, “I know,” she sighed.

Junkrat nuzzled her neck and she lay back on the pillow, closing her eyes again. She wanted this. She wanted __him__ , she just needed to stop over-thinking everything.

She closed her eyes again, deliberately focusing on nothing but the feel of him laying over her. She focused on the light sheen of sweat covering his bare chest, rubbing against her and shifting her robe about as his hand slipped under the cloth, running up her side and coming to rest on her breast, making him moan against her neck.

Each noise he made caused her heart to leap. No one had ever been quite so enthusiastic about touching her, even before her cryo-stasis, and every time he moaned or whined it made her flush with embarrassment, but it also made her feel desired and wanted; something she had all but forgotten.

“Mhm..Jamison-” she squeaked as his fingers traced circles around her nipple, the sound of his name acting as a trigger for him to tweak it, making her cry out and jolt against him.

Mei turned her head and kissed him again, letting her own hands wander down his chest. She reached the hem of his shorts and slipped one hand in, instantly finding his swollen cock straining against his shorts. Her fingers ghosted over the tip and Junkrat groaned loudly into her mouth.

The desperate noise bolstered her confidence and she wrapped her hand firmly around him, shifting herself under his weight until she could move her wrist comfortably.

“N-nyah!” Junkrat kept making noises in between kisses, thrusting into her hand roughly. Mei tried to keep his lips on hers to drown out the noise, but it seemed he couldn’t help but cry out with every small twitch of her hand.

“T-that...gah! Don’t stop...” he muttered, gripping her hair and nuzzling against her cheek, “Feels so n-good-”

Her hand felt ridiculously small around his throbbing cock and she could tell he was desperate for more, and the warmth between her legs was beginning to reach fever pitch, so she slipped her hand from him, silencing his protests and pulling his shorts down. Junkrat quickly caught on and he wriggled out of what little clothing he had with excited laughter.

“Ohh..wow!” she giggled as he sat up, displaying himself proudly.

“Like what ya’ see?” he laughed, watching her cheekily.

Mei smirked at him, stretching out on the bed and peeling away her robe slowly. Junkrat immediately stopped grinning and his mouth fell open slightly, his eyes glazing over.

Mei giggled at the small pool of drool that slipped from the corner of his mouth and she fanned her hair out over the pillow.

“Like what you see?” she asked back, feeling herself blush at her own forwardness.

Junkrat nodded slowly, then shook his head, his dazed expression replaced with a wolfish hunger and he crawled over her, leaning in close and whispering, “You know I do!”  
Mei felt him press against her, rubbing his length over her wet slit and barely managing to keep eye contact with her as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.

He looked at her desperately, almost panicked and whispered, “Nn-please?”

Mei nodded, trying to hide the sudden wave of nervousness that washed through her.

She closed her eyes, letting her body relax and respond to the feel of his hips against her own, forcing her legs apart. She felt his head press against her opening and, coupled with the soft whimpering from Junkrat above her, felt her own desire take over and she pushed up against him, signaling to him that she was ready.

“Don’t freeze...” she heard him giggle, then Junkrat slid into her with a loud groan, taking his time.

Mei gasped at the sudden fullness, stretching her wide as he pushed deeper and not stopping until he was fully sheathed inside her.

She tried to speak, but her throat was suddenly constricted and she could barely draw breath, laying frozen in place beneath him, her walls wrapped tight around his cock.

The heat was driving her out of her mind and to her horror, the familiar cold tingling in the tips of her fingers and toes had returned, creeping up her limbs to battle with the warmth of the man on top of her.

“Don’t freeze...” she whispered to herself, her eyes shut tight, “Don’t freeze...”

Why this? Why now!? Freezing when her life was in danger was one thing, but she wasn’t in any danger now...

“...Mei?” a voice broke her concentration and she opened her eyes to see Junkrats golden ones peering back at her.

“I-I’m fine,” she said, “I’m sorry, I-”

“You gotta’ stop apologizing,” Junkrat grinned, kissing her softly, “Say, you ain’t...”

“No!,” Mei gasped, then smiled, “No. I’m not a virgin. I just... Can’t seem to get a hold of my anxiety.”

“Anxiety?” Junkrat frowned, “Hang on, I got an idea,” He grabbed her thighs, rolling them over until she was once again straddling him. Mei gasped at the adjustment, the pressure of him inside of her increasing as the sank onto his hips.

“What... How does this help?” she asked, using her hands to balance on his chest.

“I reckon’ you’re the kind of girl that likes to be in charge,” Junkrat grinned, his hands running up her thighs, “So... Take charge!”

Mei gave a surprised laugh, but she had to admit, the sudden change in dynamic had caused the freeze to retreat slightly.

She lifted her hips, testing the new angle, and Junkrat whimpered as she slid up his length then lowered herself back onto him.

Again she lifted her hips, and again Junkrat ushered an almost anguished noise, bolstering her confidence, and with each thrust she gained momentum, letting her eyes close and her head fall to her shoulder as she slowly began to ride the twitching, moaning junker.

“Yeah! Much better...” Junkrat groaned, his hips snapping up to greet her, “S-so good- N-nice.. An’ h-hot...don’t stop- Don’t freeze!” He began to whisper repeatedly, begging her not to freeze with each thrust, and Mei began to chant it as well in her head, leaving her body free to enjoy the feel of him filling her, his cock rubbing against her g-spot in a constant, slow rhythm.

The heat was building again, slower and heavier, pooling in her abdomen and her own moans joined in with Junkrats louder ones until they were both almost shouting.

“I-I think...” Mei moaned, her head falling back as Junkrat ripped her robe open, revealing her breasts so he could touch her, “I’m c-close-”

“N-nyah! Don’t stop- d-don’t freeze!” Junkrat cried, pulling her down and thrusting up violently.

A white hot coil tightened between her legs, almost making her cry with the intensity and her body instantly reacted defensively, the cold rushing through her body and colliding with the heat and she slowed, gasping, “I don’t think I can-”

“Here!” Junkrat twisted around, reaching down to his foot and pulling off his one, worn out shoe. Mei screamed in shock as he threw it hard at the lamp on her desk, sending it crashing to the floor and flooding the room with darkness.

“Why did you-” Mei didn’t need to finish the question. She could already feel the results and her mind relaxed, letting the cold subside completely now that she was safe in the darkness.

“Ahh! Jamison... I’m- Jamison!” She practically screamed as he took over their movements entirely, pulling her down onto him by the hips and digging his heels into the mattress as he thrust into her, slamming over and over into her as she flew over the edge, an explosion washing over her in waves as she came, squeezing his cock tightly with each pulse. Her orgasm was so intense that she barely registered the high-pitched wail that tore from Junkrat’s throat, signalling his own peak.

She swayed slightly, balancing on his chest and felling the liquid heat of his cum flood from his twitching cock, filling her and leaving them both soaked in sweat, dripping with their own fluids in the dark room while the aftershocks of the first non-solo orgasm she had achieved in over ten years wracked her body.

Mei finally collapsed, falling forward onto his panting chest. Junkrat was making weak, incoherent noises, but he managed to lift his arms and wrap them around her, pulling her close.

“Wow...” She sighed, barely able to move.

“Heh...yeah!” Junkrat giggled, “Not bad for the first round of the night!”


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Mei barely had time to catch her breath before Junkrat was kissing her again. It seemed his boundless energy extended to the bedroom, and although she was willing, she wondered if she would be able to keep up with him.

She was still extremely sensitive and the aftershocks of her orgasm still washed over her, causing her to twitch each time Junkrat brushed against her and even her mind felt wrung with the effort of controlling her fears long enough to enjoy herself, leaving her exhausted but, despite her lethargy, she felt no real hurry to push Junkrat away, instead she lay comfortably on the bed while her showered her in kisses, his attention leaping from her mouth to her neck, then down to her breasts erratically, as though he couldn’t decide which spot he liked best.

Her robe had long been tossed aside, leaving her completely bare beneath him, and she was surprised at how comfortable she was with this, considering she never even used the community showers if her other team-mates were occupying it, but what confused her the most was how utterly devoid her body was of the need to freeze. It was as though her anxiety had been washed away when she reached her peak, leaving her with nothing but the warmth and comfort of having someone else pressed against her, and she hadn’t even realized until now just how much she had missed that feeling.

“Jamison?” she caught his attention and he looked up at her in the darkness.

“What’s up?” he asked, laying on his side next to her and propping his head up on his arm.

“I Just wanted to say...I mean, well...” she could feel herself turning red under his gaze, and she was glad that the only light in the room came from the waxing moon outside her window, “That was... Amazing! It’s been so long since...since I’ve been able to touch someone, and I guess...well, I’m glad it was you, but I just wanted to ask...why?”

“Why what?” Junkrat frowned.

“Why everything!” Mei laughed, “Why can you touch me? Why do you __want__ to! Why was it so hard for me to relax? And why-”

“Why you need to question it?” Junkrat chimed in, grinning at her, “You’re a smart girl, snowflake, but you spend too much time up here,” he pointed at her forehead, “and not enough time out here!” he waved his arms about the room, “Sometimes you just got to stop asking questions and enjoy yourself. The boss told me that you were all here for a holiday, but all I’ve seen you doing is working!”

“But I have to work!” Mei countered, “I’m so far behind on my research and I don’t know when I’ll be back in China again. I need to take advantage of our free time here to-”

“To have some fun!” Junkrat interrupted, “You’re so caught up in saving the world that you’re missing it!”

“I’m not missing it,” Mei countered, “I’ve seen and done things you wouldn’t believe! I’ve stood at the peak of Everest! I’ve explored the permafrost caves of the Antarctic, traveled on safari in Africa, even-”

“Alright, alright!” Junkrat said, raising his hands in defeat, “All I’m saying is the world can spare a few days for you to relax!”

“That’s... Very sweet,” Mei laughed, “but I’m quite used to balancing work and play.”

“I like the sound of __play__  better!” Junkrat said, rolling on top of her and making her squeal with laughter.

Mei couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so freely or felt so relaxed. Perhaps Junkrat was right, maybe she should give herself a break, heavens knew she deserved it, so why shouldn’t she enjoy being able to touch someone again?

Mei ran her hands up Junkrats chest, feeling the solid strength of his muscles beneath her fingers and making him moan with delight when she thrust her hips upwards, pressing against his fast growing erection. Junkrat took the hint, and before Mei could take a breath, he pushed himself inside her with one swift movement.  

“For a girl that can freeze in ice, you sure are warm, snowflake...” he gasped.

If she was warm, then Jamison Fawkes must be the sun, she thought as her body adjusted to his size. His hips pressed against sharply against her, so she lifted her legs slightly until she was comfortable, and Junkrat swiftly gripped one of her thighs with his hand, using his prosthetic to hold his weight off of her.

Mei reached up, tugging lightly at his hair until he bought his head down, kissing her softly as he began to rock against her, slowly building his movement until he was sliding in and out of her, a slight quiver shooting through his body each time he sheathed himself.

Mei could feel her desire building again and there was no sign of any difficulties in getting there, just the heady feel of Junkrat thrusting into her, rubbing against her clit with each roll of his hips, almost driving her crazy with need.

“M-more-” she gasped, raising her hips to meet him, but Junkrat kept his steady pace, gripping her thigh tightly and dominating her mouth with his own.

It wasn’t long before she was moaning beneath him, the slowness of his movements keeping her just below her peak.

“Jami, please-” she begged, digging her fingers into his bare back. Junkrat was sweating and twitching, small desperate groans escaping him as he tried to stay in control, and Mei realized suddenly that he was deliberately holding back, keeping his own needs in check despite himself.

He was doing it for her.

“Jamison?” she whispered, grabbing hold of his face and pulling him down until their noses touched and she could see his pained expression in the moonlight.

“Huh?” he managed to choke out between gritted teeth.

She lifted herself from the bed slightly, pressing her cheek against his and whispering in his ear, “Don’t hold back.”

Something snapped inside the junker and he let out a cry that was almost a howl as he relinquished the last of his control, slamming his hips into her with such force that she could feel herself shifting up the bed and she put her hands above her head to brace herself against the backboard, letting her moans join his as each erratic thrust bought her closer and closer to orgasm.

“Nyah! Can’t hold on-” Junkrat gasped, and his hand left her thigh to reach between them, his thumb landing on her swollen clit and making her scream with pleasure as every muscle in her body tensed and released simultaneously, her walls gripping his cock almost painfully.

Junkrats finish was almost as loud as her own, and he thrust weakly a few more times before spilling himself inside her.

“I think... I like play better too,” Mei panted as he collapsed on top of her and he laughed, struggling to catch his own breath.

If he said something after that, Mei didn’t hear it. Sleep took her so fast she didn’t have a chance, and the last thing she felt was Junkrat pulling her against him, holding her close.

...

...

Mei woke up screaming, fighting the sheets and pushing a pair of strong hands away in confusion as she pulled herself from her nightmare. She had been back in the cryo room, desperately trying to save her team as they stared at her through the frosted glass accusingly.

“What? What happened?!” a voice was screeching, at it took her a moment to remember where she was, and who was with her.

Soft morning light was shining through the open window to her left, revealing her bedroom in Lijiang and the mess she and Junkrat had caused the night before; her lamp was shattered across the floor, bits of broken glass gleaming in the carpet next to a single shoe, her robe lay abandoned at the foot of the bed, and Junkrats shorts were hanging from her desk among her paperwork.

“Snowflake?” Junkrat was sitting up next to her, his metal leg tangled in the sheets and his hair sticking oddly to one side from where he slept on it, giving him a thoroughly shambled look.

“I’m fine,” Mei said, wishing she didn’t have to keep say it, “just a nightmare.”

She collapsed back onto her pillow, looking up at the ceiling.

“Must’ve been some nightmare,” Junkrat said, laying back down next to her on his side, “Thought we were under attack!”

“Sorry,” Mei said, turning to look at the alarm on her desk, “You can go back to sleep, it’s only six-thirty.”

Junkrat nuzzled into his pillow, but he didn’t close his eyes. “What was it about?”

“The nightmare? Nothing, really...” Mei shrugged, rolling over to face him. “Just ghosts.”

“Ghosts?” Junkrat looked at her disbelievingly, “what sort of ghosts?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied, wishing he would drop it. The nightmares were so frequent that she had almost gotten used to them, so she saw no point in rehashing them each time she woke up.

“Was I in it?” he asked curiously.

“Why would you be in it?” Mei laughed, “I’ve already told you, I’m not scared of you!”

“I dreamed ‘bout you,” Junkrat said, looking almost hurt.

“Oh?” Mei shifted herself so they were on the same pillow, “and what happened in this dream?”

Junkrat grinned at her wickedly, leaning in close, “I can show-”

“Mei?” a concerned voice called as the door to her room opened. Junkrat jumped in shock and tumbled off the side of the bed, taking half the sheets with him and Mei barely had time to pull enough back up to cover her before Winston entered, looking about worriedly.

She leaned quickly over the side to where Junkrat lay sprawled between the bed and the window and put her finger to her lips.

“I heard you scream, are you ok?” Winston asked, looking at the shattered lamp.

“Y-yes, yes, fine!” she stammered, wrapping the sheets high around her neck, “Just a bad dream, is all!”

“Another nightmare?” Winston asked, lowering himself on his haunches to sit by the bed, “It’s been almost a year now...”

“I know,” she sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

“And it’s still the same one?” Winston pressed. Mei had spoken of the nightmares to him before after he found her flailing around in her bunk, screaming.

“Yes, it changes a little each time, but it’s still the same thing...” she said, lowering her gaze.

“I’m worried about you, Mei,” Winston admitted, “Maybe you shouldn’t have started work again so soon... Are you sure you don’t want to take some time off? You could do some traveling or-”

“The last thing I want to do is stop working,” Mei said, and she winced at the harshness in her words.

“Alright,” Winston said, nodding as he stood up again, “As long as you feel like you’re up to it...”

Mei breathed a sigh of relief as he headed towards the door, but gritted her teeth when he paused, looking over at her desk where Junkrats shorts still lay.

“By the way,” he said, turning back to her, “Lucheng is offering us a full tour of their facilities today. We’re meeting in the foyer at eight if you want to join us?”

“Sounds great,” she said, smiling a little too brightly as he chuckled.

“You’re welcome to join us too, Mr. Fawkes,” Winston said over his shoulder casually, and Mei felt her heart drop into her stomach and her face burn red as Junkrat thrust an arm into the air and gave a thumbs up to Winston from behind the bed.

She could still hear him chuckling through the closed door when he left, and she buried her face in her hands, falling back onto the bed with a groan as Junkrat clambered back onto the mattress.

“How did he know I was here? I didn’t make a sound!” Junkrat muttered, “and why did I have to hide anyway? Are we a secret?”

“No, I’m sorry, I guess I just panicked,” Mei said, resuming her position on the pillow next to him, “It’s not that I’m ashamed or anything, I’m just... a very private person.”

“Well he barely even knocked, pretty rude if you ask me,” Junkrat shrugged, trying to worm his way back under the blanket that was still wrapped around her, tugging at it until she let go and threw it over him.

“You’re one to talk,” Mei laughed, “You came in through the window!”

Junkrat didn’t answer, instead preferring to busy himself with pressing his body as close to hers as possible and kissing her, effectively ending the discussion.

Mei reached down between their naked bodies, finding him semi-erect and wrapping her hand around him, smiling when he elicited a groan.

“Weren’t you going to tell me about your dream?” she asked, moving her wrist slightly and feeling him grow beneath her touch.

“Dream?” he mumbled, “What- oh yeah!” His head snapped up from the pillow and his eyes lit up excitedly.

Mei laughed, allowing him to shift her until she was on her stomach, facing away from him, each time she tried to lift her head or turn around, Junkrat would push her back lightly, leaving her laying there in anticipation as she shuffled around on the bed behind her.

“Oh!” she gasped, as the first cold touch of his metal finger caressed her inner thigh, tracing a line upwards and slowly working its way through her folds. His other hand nudged her leg apart and she shifted, giving him better access.

Mei could feel the soreness between her thighs from the night before, but Junkrat was careful as he slipped a single mechanical finger inside, and Mei turned her head slightly to see he was sitting between her legs, concentrating hard on his task.

She closed her eyes and let her body relax, whimpering slightly each time his finger crossed the sensitive pad of her g-spot, making her wetter and stretching her until he could slide a second finger in.

She felt his index finger groping, and lifted her hips slightly so he could reach her clit, feeling him lift himself over her slightly, putting more weight into his actions and making her toes curl as he worked her.

“Oh...Jami- that’s...” Mei couldn’t think properly, but she heard him chuckle and she turned her head slightly, a vulnerable feeling crossing over her at the predatory look on his face.

“I got this old bot arm years ago, see” he said, smirking, “made a few changes to it here and there... Improved it,”

“It’s n-nice,” Mei stammered, finding it hard to concentrate on his words as her insides curled with pleasure.

“I was going to show you last night, but you fell asleep,” he continued, slowing his movements slightly, “want to see my favorite improvement?”

Mei nodded, unsure where he was going to do, but the moment he tapped a small node on the side her mind went blank and she screamed into the pillow, her hips rising high off the bed as the entire mechanical hand began to vibrate, moving with her so she couldn’t escape the sudden onslaught of stimulation.

“Oh my- fuck!” she swore, something she rarely did, “Ohh! Jami- it’s too- oh fuck!” she writhed on the bed as Junkrat lowered himself on top of her, pinning her to the bed and trapping his vibrating hand in the perfect position to reach her most sensitive spots, and less than a minute later her whole body was shaking as she came violently, thrusting against his hand. She felt his fingers slide out of her, and a moment later they were replaced with his cock as he slipped deep inside her with a growl, shifting his arm to reach under her from the front.

His had was still vibrating, and Mei tried to pull away, but his weight held her trapped and his fingers once again found her clit, attacking it as he thrust inside her.

“Jami- please, I can’t-” she was too sensitive, but he didn’t let up, holding her until she felt another wave crash into her, making her whole body tense beneath him as she moaned, unable to do anything but ride it out.

“Nyah! F-fuck!” she heard him groan above her, and he pulled his hand out to brace himself on either side of her body, fucking her hard until he spilled inside her.

“Why... Would you... Have that?” Mei panted, still twitching as he rolled off her and collapsed on the mattress.

Junkrat gave a weak laugh, “It gets pretty lonely in the Outback... Never tried it with another person before though, was it good?”

“Good is... An understatement,” she laughed, “You could have warned me though,”

“And miss seeing that reaction?” Junkrat grinned, wrapping his arms around her.

Mei glanced up at the alarm and was shocked to find an hour had already passed. She sat up, putting her glasses on and reaching for her robe.

“We should get going if we don’t want to miss the tour,” she said, throwing her robe on and standing up.

“Aww, but-” Junkrat looked up at her from the bed pleadingly, “can’t we just stay here?”

“Sorry,” she said, searching through the cupboard for something to wear, “I’ve been wanting to get a look at some of Lucheng’s new projects, and this might be my only chance to speak with someone.”

Junkrat sulked on the bed for a while, watching her as she dressed and brushed her hair and only getting up to put his shorts on when he was sure she wasn’t going to change her mind. Mei shook her head as he took his time pulling on his one shoe, muttering under his breath.

“Come on,” she said, pulling him to the door, “If you behave yourself I’ll buy you some breakfast.”

He perked up a little at that, and it wasn’t long before they made it to the living area of the penthouse where Winston, Lena and Emily were sitting about, half-awake and eyes on their coffee.

“Good morning,” Mei called, “I thought we were meeting in the foyer at eight?”

“We’ve still got ten minutes,” Lena said, stifling a yawn, “And some of us didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Why?” Mei asked, pouring herself a coffee and joining them at the bench while Junkrat flopped onto the couch sullenly.

“Same reason as you, love!” Lena replied, causing both Emily and Winston to snort into their coffees, “The walls in this place are paper thin, you know.”

Mei felt her whole face instantly burn red, and even Junkrat snickered from where he lay on the couch.

“Oh, I-I’m sorry-” Mei stammered, hiding her face by pretending to sip her coffee.

“No need to be sorry,” Lena said, still grinning madly, “Sounded like a jolly good time, if you ask me!”

Mei groaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Alright, you’ve had your fun, Lena,” Emily said, and Mei felt a rush of gratitude as the red head distracted her girlfriend long enough for the topic to change.

When the four of them made it to the foyer they were greeted by Genji, Angela, Zarya, and Roadhog, who had decided to forgo their sleep-in to join the tour, and it wasn’t long before Mr. Katsunagi, a representative of Lucheng, had them on the floor of the Lunar museum, proudly showing his company’s past achievements to the half awake tour group, and a less than impressed Winston.

Mei listened closely as Winston questioned the terrified tour guide about their future plans for the failed lunar base while the rest of the group wandered about, studying the displays while they waited for the tour to get interesting, and by the time they reached the experimental lab division an hour later, Katsunagi was a nervous wreck, and Mei had to physically corner him so she could ask him about their terraforming projects.

To her dismay, Lucheng seemed to have put their environmental projects on hold in lieu of working on a new kind of rocket fuel, and she watched through the glass window leading to the lab as men and women in white coats and thick face-masks hovered over cluttered tables with more than a little disappointment in the interstellar company.

“You would think saving __this__ planet would take priority over exploring others,” she mumbled to Zarya.

“You know how these big companies are,” Zarya shrugged, leaning against the wall, “Why would they spend money when they can make it instead?”

“What money can there possibly be in space exploration?” she asked bitterly.

“It’s not so much the exploration as it is the countries and corporations racing to purchase the discoveries. Why bother fixing your country when you can expand it infinitely?” Zarya replied.

Mei huffed, looking around the hall and noticing Junkrat and Roadhog standing in the corner by one of the lab doors, whispering.

“What are they up to now?” she sighed, watching as Junkrat gestured frantically with his hands to his friend, who crossed his arms in reply.

“I’m still not clear on why they’re even here and not behind bars,” Zarya said, watching them as well, “Sure they’re harmless enough now, but what happens if they change their minds and stop co-operating?”

“I don’t think they will,” Mei said, trying to keep a straight face, “Why would they give up such a good deal?”

Zarya shook her head, frowning, “Men like that... I don’t think they do what they do for money or fame, I think they do it to survive... To feel free. Overwatch has taken that freedom away, so how long do you think they will tolerate having restrictions and boundaries forced upon them?”

Mei bit her lip, watching Junkrat stretch to the tip of his toes to whisper to Roadhog, and she tried to think of a counter argument. She wanted to say that Junkrat wouldn’t do that; that he would never do something like that to her, but despite her rapidly growing affection for Jamison Fawkes, she didn’t really know him at all.


End file.
